


Tom x Cassie One Shots

by JayWrites



Series: Love, Hurt, & Misery: One Shots [7]
Category: Actor RPF, British Actor RPF
Genre: Anal Fingering, Anal Play, Anal Sex, Angst, Bukkake, Come Swallowing, Cumshot, Drama, Edging, F/M, Fluff and Smut, Forced Orgasm, Handcuffs, Light Bondage, Oral Sex, Pegging, Smut, Spanking, Sub!Tom, ass eating, dom!Tom, sexy fun times
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-10-10
Updated: 2017-01-04
Packaged: 2018-02-20 16:30:06
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 29
Words: 68,928
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2435456
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JayWrites/pseuds/JayWrites
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This will be a collection of one shots that come into my head but don't necessarily fit into the current plot line(s), therefore, they will be non-chronological. Expect both fluff and smut.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Picasso

Tom sat in front of the television barely watching the documentary that was on—after nearly ten minutes of channel surfing that was the most interesting thing he could find. He thought about maybe going for another run. At least that would award him with a change of scenery; also, he wouldn’t feel as if he had wasted another Sunday afternoon.

Usually his Sunday’s were spent in bed with Cassie, that is, if they were both free. Unfortunately, today Cassie had to work the morning shift at her second job, which left him to find ways to entertain himself. He was failing miserably at it. He yawned at the sound of the dull narrator’s voice describing the birth cycle of some type of dolphin (since he was half listening he never caught the name). He looked at his watch. It was a little after 1:30 and the documentary was threatening to lull him into an early sleep.

The sound of the apartment door opening caught his attention and he eagerly turned to see who had entered. “Cassie!” He called her name with such excitement that it surprised even himself. “You’re home.”

She furrowed her brow while removing her coat. “Yes…I told you I got off today at one.”

"Oh, right…I forgot." He sprung off the couch and ran to wrap his arms around her. He kissed her repeatedly all over her face causing her to giggle.

"Well somebody’s happy to see me," she said once he stopped. "Poor baby. You must’ve been lonely here all by yourself," she joked.

He playfully pouted. “I was pretty bored. But now that you’re here…”

Cassie put her hand on his chest and gently pushed him away. “Sorry, babe. I have to be at the bar at five. I want to take a nap before I have to shower and change.” She tugged his chin then brought his face down for a kiss before walking towards the bedroom.

He followed her and watched as she kicked off her shoes and pulled her shirt over her head. “How about if I just finger fuck you or eat you out? Just five minutes. You’ll hardly know I’m down there.” Cassie threw her head back in laughter and mouthed a “no” while working on the side zipper on her skirt. “Okay…how about if I put the tip in? Hmm? Just the tip?”

She laughed again and replied, “How about you stop being so silly and help me with this damn zipper?”

He sighed and fell to his knees to better examine the zipper. He tugged at it and when it wouldn’t give said, “I think it’s caught on your underwear.” He managed to untangle and unzip it. “How about I get a lick or two since I’m down here.”

She playfully balled her fists. “Thomas you’re about to get these hands if you don’t fucking stop.”

He put his hands up in defense. “I’ll behave.” She gave him a look that said she didn’t believe him in the slightest. She removed her skirt and Tom raised an eyebrow at the design on her panties. “Is that Captain America’s shield,” he asked while rising off the floor.

"You know it is, Tom. You’ve seen these panties before."

"Yeah but I thought you would have at least bought a pair with Loki on them by now."

She rolled her eyes. “Actors and their egos, man…”

"What’s that supposed to mean?" He tensed his jaw.

"Nothing."

“‘Nothing?’ So you’re just going to pretend like you didn’t call me egotistical?”

"I never said that!"

"But you implied it!"

"Whatever, Tom. I’m not in the mood to fight or deal with whatever’s going on with you right now." She turned to walk away but he grabbed her elbow and pulled her back to him.

"Look at me when I’m talking to you! I bet you think about him all the time, huh?"

She twisted her face in confusion while trying to free herself from his vice-like grip. “Who?”

"Evans! That’s why you love wearing those panties. I bet you think about him while I’m inside you, don’t you?"

"Are you fucking serious right now, Tom?" She finally freed herself from him and stormed out of the room. He followed behind her. "Don’t you dare follow me, you bastard!"

"I’m right, aren’t I?" She murmured out a swear while continuing down the hall. He grabbed her and turn her to him. "Don’t deny it, Cassie! But we both know…" he put a hand between her legs and gently squeezed the lips of her pussy; the action sent electricity through her body. "We both know he can’t make you wet like I can."

She started to protest but he cut her off by kissing her roughly on the mouth. When he pulled away she saw a flash in his eyes that told her his anger wasn’t genuine. She could kill him for playing with her like this. Yet she had to admit she was getting a little turned on. The way he tensed his jaw and that look in his eyes that promised he would fuck her hard up against the wall...

She bit back a smile and played along. “Okay…I admit it. I think about him constantly. Sometimes I have to fight from saying his name in bed.” She gave him a defiant look before adding, “What are you gonna do about it, Thomas?”

He didn’t try to hide the devilish grin that formed on his face. “Well…you’ve been a very bad girl, Cassie. Do you know what happens to bad girls?” Cassie’s breathing slowed. She bit her lip and shook her head. “They get punished.”

He pulled her back into the bedroom. He took the time to admire her body while encircling her. “No. This just won’t do,” he said as he popped the strap of her bra. He smiled as she winced at the slight sting of it hitting against her skin. “Remove it.” She did as she was told. “And those god-awful panties next.” She pulled them off and carelessly tossed them to the side.

He ran is fingers along her naked body. “You truly are beautiful, Cas. You deserve to have every inch of this beautiful body licked.” She smiled but said nothing. “Unfortunately, that’s only for good girls.” He stood behind her and pressed his frame against hers. He licked up the side of her neck and she closed her eyes and leaned into him at the sensation. And just when she was relaxed and unsuspecting, he reared his hand back and slapped her firm on the ass. She yelped and her eyes fluttered open in response.

"That’s one." He grabbed her by the wrist and sat on the edge of the bed. He laid her across his lap and slapped her again on the ass. "That’s two. Count the rest for me, darling."

SMACK! Cassie called out again at the pain before saying, “Th-three…”

SMACK! “AH! Four!” She could feel his growing erection against her stomach.

SMACK! She was getting wet from the mixture of pain and pleasure. “Mmm…Five!”

SMACK! “Six!” She began to grind against his thigh hoping to alleviate the throbbing between her legs.

"Uh-huh, darling. You know better than that. Only good girls are allowed to come," he said before slipping his hand between the folds of her pussy. She shuddered at the feeling of his fingers inside her. "Ooh. You’re so wet, love. But I don’t think you’ve learned your lesson yet."

He hit her again and she let out a loud moan before calling out the next number. He smiled at the sound before continuing spanking her. His cock twitched at each hit that he rendered—eight! nine! ten!—until he could no longer take it. “Get on your knees. I want to fuck that pretty mouth of yours.”

Cassie gingerly moved to the floor; her ass raw from the spankings and her eyes wet with tears. An apologetic look grew on Tom’s face when he saw the tears. Had he gotten so caught up in the game that he hadn’t heard her crying? He opened his mouth to apologize but she held up a hand to stop him and shook her head. She sat back on her ass and winced at the pain.

"I’m fine," she said smiling; yet he still frowned at her tears and wiped them away with his thumbs.

'Are you sure? We can stop and…”

"I’m sure. You can make it up to me later." She began working on the zipper of his pants. "Now I believe you said something about fucking my pretty little mouth," she said before freeing his cock from his pants.

Tom smiled. “Do you want me to come in your throat or on your chest?”

"I was hoping on my face. I mean," she pouted and stuck a finger in the side of her mouth, "that’s the only to punish a bad girl like me."

He chuckled and began stroking his cock. He ran the tip of it across her lips and she stuck her tongue out to lick the tip of it. His breath hitched at the sensation. “Open your mouth.” She did as instructed. “Wider, darling. I want you to take all of me in.” As soon as she did so, he grabbed the back of her head and filled her mouth with his length. Her eyes watered as he hit the back of her throat.

"Look at me, Cas," he said while placing both hands on the sides of her head and stroking in and out of her mouth. Water hung at the corner of her eyes as he fucked her. She reached between her legs and rubbed her clit; causing her to hum around his cock. He threw his head back at the vibration.

He began to feverishly fuck her face nearly losing himself in the feeling of her mouth around his cock. Until she slapped the back of his hand signaling for him to give her a moment to breathe. He pulled out of her mouth and stroked himself with one hand while she drew in large gusts of breaths. He ran his thumb across her bottom lip and wiped a drop of spit off with it. He put the thumb in his mouth and sucked it.

"You good?" She nodded in reply and opened her mouth to receive him again. He filled her once more and, without hesitation, began fucking her mouth again. He felt his orgasm building in his lower abdomen. "Oh shit….I’m ready." He pulled out of her and began to frantically stroke himself.

Cassie rubbed her clit and closed her eyes as she eagerly awaited his come. Tom grabbed the back of her head and gritted his teeth before mumbling out a “Fuck!” as he painted her face with his come; being especially careful not to get any in her hair or her eyes. (He could hear her voice warning him in the back of his mind).

She let out an “ah…” at the feeling of the hot fluid hitting her face in spurts. Tom stepped back to admire his work. “How do I look,” she asked before scooping up the come with her fingers and sucking it off them.

"Like…a masterpiece." He helped her off the floor. "Come on…Let’s get you cleaned up and then we both can take a nap before you leave." She smiled sweetly as he grabbed her hand and gently pulled her toward the bathroom.


	2. Fingers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is not a new one shot. I was originally a part of my Aftermath fic but I decided to move it here. Enjoy anyway!

Cassie lay in bed staring at the ceiling. Tom was lying beside her in a deep sleep. “Lucky motherfucker,” she murmured aloud. She glanced over at the clock on the side table and let out a long huff at the late hour.

Tom tossed onto his side so that he was now facing her. One arm was curled under his cheek the other pulled close to his chest. His chest rose and fell as he slept. A light snore escaped his nostrils. He looked so adorable. She lightly traced her fingers over his face. When she got to his nose she gently tapped the tip while quietly saying, “Boop.” He grumbled in his throat and lightly flicked his hand across his nose as if he were shooing a fly.

She continued to run her fingers down his lean arms and then his waistline. His undershirt had lifted slightly when he tossed over earlier making the V-cuts on his hip bones visible. Cassie licked her lips at the sight. She loved those lines. She grew slightly wet thinking about where those lines led. She bit her lip. Should she?

Her pussy was throbbing and dying to be touched. If she was quiet maybe she could…. She gently flipped onto her back. She nimbly removed the shorts she was wearing and tossed them on the floor beside her. She rubbed her pussy through her underwear before slipping her hand inside her panties. She lightly circled her clit. A moan left her lips and she quickly covered her mouth with her free hand. She looked at Tom. Still asleep.

She spread her legs further; her right leg lightly grazed Tom’s. She gently rubbed her leg against his; smiling at the feeling of his hair moving against her smooth skin. She closed her eyes as she inserted a finger into herself and imagined it was Tom’s long, skilled digits. She cursed that her fingers weren’t long as his to reach that spot in herself that he could so adroitly. She rocked her hips while pumping her fingers in as deep as she could. She rubbed her clit with her other hand. Her mouth dropped open but she was careful not to make any sounds.

She pumped her fingers harder now imagining that it was Tom’s thick cock thrusting into her. She imagined him gripping her hips or sinking his nails into her thighs as he fucked her hard. She could almost hear his voice talking dirty to her. Maybe asking if she loved the feeling of his cock deep in her. Maybe telling her that he loved her beautiful cunt. Maybe he would give her commands. _Don’t come until I say. Say my name. Louder!_ She rocked her hips faster and whimpered at the sound of her fingers slicking in and out of her wet pussy.

She imagined him bringing his hand around her throat and squeezing slightly as he ground his hips against her. She could feel her orgasm building. She rubbed her clit faster. “Mmmmm…..yes…oh God…oh...” Her toes curled and her body jerked as she came. She smiled satisfied.

“Now, Cassie, you can do better than that.” She gasped in surprise at Tom’s low, velvety voice. She must’ve been louder than she thought. She started to apologize but he kissed her and took her words away. He rubbed her toned stomach before walking his fingers lower; stopping right above the band of her panties.

Cassie tried to protest but he stuck his tongue in her mouth and whirled it around hers. “What were you thinking about, Cassie? Hmmm?” He slipped his hand into her panties and ran his hands over her pussy. She grabbed his arm to stop him.

“No, Tom. Please.” She was still tender from her orgasm.

“Why? I want to play too, Cassie.”

“No. You don’t play fair, Tom.”

He smiled. “And you love it.” God help her, she did. Her body constantly screamed for his touch. She licked lips and groaned in pleasure as he stuck his fingers between the folds of her pussy.

“Were you thinking about me?” She whined and nodded.

“What was I doing? Tell me.”

You…hmmmm….finger fucked me.”

He slipped a finger inside her and began moving it slowly in and out. “Like this?”

She gently bucked her hips. “Yes…”

“What else did you think about?”

“I-I thought about how good you feel inside me. About how hard you f-fuck me…mmmmm….”

“Is that what made you come?” She nodded. “Do you want me inside you now, Cassie? Do you want me to fuck you hard?” She bit her lip and nodded while still grinding against his hand. “No darling. You have to say it. Beg me to fuck you.”

“I-I want you inside me, Thomas. I w-want you to do whatever you want to me. Please…”

 _Whatever he wanted…_ He smiled deviously at the thought. He stuck another finger inside her and furiously pumped in and out of her. The cotton of her underwear rubbed against his knuckles but he wouldn’t remove them; he wanted them to be soaked in her juices. Instead, he watched her face as he finger fucked her. She looked beautiful lying there, lost to ecstasy. Her eyes were shut tight and her lips parted—every now and again she would lick them before dropping her mouth open again.

Tom took the opportunity to dip his tongue into her mouth. When he did, Cassie caught his tongue with her mouth and sucked on it. She let go it to whimper out a “shit” while rocking her hips faster against his hand. He gently rubbed her clit with his free hand and her body immediately jerked in response. “Oh, nononono…Tom, please…” He ignored her cries as he continued to work her clit with his free hand. He felt her pussy pulse around his fingers as she came; soaking his hand and her panties.

“That’s more like it,” he said smiling. He grabbed the band of her panties and pulled them off her waist. He leaned over and flicked his tongue up her lips. When she opened her mouth to let out a moan he shoved her soaked panties in her mouth.

He was expecting her to protest or attempt to remove them but instead she let out an “mmmm...” as she sucked on the wet crotch. “Goddamn…” he whispered before pulling her legs up to her chest. He ran the tip of his cock along her entrance. “Look at me, Cas.” Her eyes fluttered open and she gazed her dark brown eyes into his blue ones. He watched her eyes roll back as he entered her slowly.

He pulled out and paused. She bucked her hips and whined behind the panties in her mouth. He smiled at her mischievously and rocked his hips slightly. Her eyes were wide in anticipation. He licked his lips but still didn’t move. The look on her face changed from anxious to annoyance. When she started to reach for the panties in her mouth so she could curse him, he slammed into her. She gasped behind the cotton fabric at the quick movement. Tom gritted his teeth as he thrust into her. “Fuck, baby….you feel…so….shit!....good…”

Her humble breasts bounce as he fucked her fast and hard. She grabbed the covers as he mercilessly pounded into her; her cries of pleasure muffled by her underwear. She wouldn’t be able to hold out much longer. The rapture of how he was fucking her and the ever present taste of her juices on her tongue overtook her. Her toes curled and her body jerked as she came.

“Oh, shit!” Tom yelled out at the feeling of her pussy pulsing around his cock. He managed to pump into her a few more times before finally filling her with his hot seed. He collapsed next to her in exhaustion. He removed her panties from her mouth leaving a small trail of spit on the side of her bottom lip. “I see you like that,” he said between breaths.

“I thought you would’ve run out of ways to turn my ass out by now. Apparently I was wrong.”

He chuckled and pulled her close to him. “So…If I wanted to do that again…?”

“Maybe…Give me a little warning or something next time.”

“Now, Cas…” He kissed her on her shoulder and she melted at the feeling of his lips against her skin. “Where’s the fun in that?”


	3. Ass! It’s What’s For Dinner

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So...I asked my followers on tumblr for a writing prompt and I got ass eating in reply. So...Yeah... Enjoy reading this (hopefully) while I go contemplate my life choices lol. 
> 
> Also, I originally wrote that title b/c I was being a little shit (heh) but now I think I'll keep it. If you hate this fic at least you'll get a kick outta that.

Cassie laid on the bed, eyes closed and humming at the feeling of Tom massaging her back. “Your hands are magic, babe,” she said before letting out a sigh when his hands moved to her lower back.

"What about my other parts?"

"They’re shit compared to these fingers, dude."

"Oh, Cassie," Tom leaned over and said in her ear; she groaned slightly at the added weight on her tiny frame. "You know you love this dick."

"Meh," she joked and Tom laughed in response.

"Okay. What about my tongue?" He licked and nibbled her left ear and she let out a gasp at the feeling. "You can’t deny you like it."

"You ain’t shit, Tom," she said while wiggling her hips as his continued to kiss down her neck before lightly biting her shoulder.

"I know," Tom said with a laugh before sitting back up. "I bet I made you so fucking wet just then."

Cassie rolled her eyes. “Sometimes you can be such an ass!”

"Speaking of ass…" He smiled like a toddler playing in the sandbox at recess as he began massaging her round cheeks. Cassie yelped when he slapped one cheek. He smiled as he watched the meat jiggle and bounce.

"Why are you so obsessed with my ass, dude?"

"Cas, have you seen your ass," he asked while squeezing her cheeks. "It is glorious!" He leaned down and placed a kiss on one of her cheeks. He paused expecting Cassie to either comment or protest but she said nothing. He smiled and continued to kiss her ass.

Cassie closed her eyes and moaned at the feeling of his lips moving down her round behind and the back of her thigh. He ran his tongue back up her left ass cheek and across to the right one where he proceeded to lovingly kiss it as he had done the other. He stuck a finger between the lips of her pussy and found that she was slightly wet.

"I see you like this, darling."

"Mmm-hmm," Cassie mumbled. "It’s nice."

"You know what’s even better," he asked with a smirk. Before she could reply, Tom spread her cheeks and gently blew into her asshole.

Cassie's eyes fluttered open. “T-Tom? Wh-what are you…”

He cut her off with a “shhh” before blowing into her ass again. Cassie whimpered at the feeling of his warm breath against her asshole. “Get on all fours, sweetheart.”

She hated that she didn’t hesitate to move into the position. Of all the sexual shit he had turned her on to, this was the one thing that she had managed to resist for the longest. At first, whenever he had brought it up she always gave him a “hell fucking naw”; but recently her curiosity had gotten the best of her. Her stern “no’s” had turned into weak “maybe’s.”

Tom caressed her ass. “Spread your legs farther, Cassie.” She obeyed and readjusted herself. “Good. Now lean forward, darling. Like you do when I’m about to fuck your ass.” She leaned forward so that her open ass now protruded in the air. “Good, girl.”

He leaned over and brought two fingers to her mouth. “Get them nice and wet for me darling.” Cassie sucked on Tom’s fingers. She rolled her tongue around one finger then the other. When he pulled them out of her mouth she grabbed his wrist and spat on his fingers.

"Just in case," she said.

He smiled before running his wet fingers over her hole and her body flinched instinctively. “Relax,” he said as he began inserting one of his wet fingers into her asshole. Cassie winced before yelping at the pain. “Do you want me to stop?”

"No. I’m-I’m good."

"Are you sure," Tom asked as he slowly pumped his finger out of her tight hole. She nodded and he slowly added his second digit. He continued to pump his fingers in her ass while he used his other hand to massage a cheek as he kissed and nibbled on it.

Cassie closed her eyes and sighed at the feeling of his fingers moving inside her. She rocked her hips slightly. “Hmm…”

Tom removed his fingers and spat on her asshole. Cassie jumped in surprised but soon calmed at the feeling of Tom’s tongue nimbly lapping at her ass. “Ooh…” She was surprised at how good it felt to have his tongue there, of all places. She was even more surprised at how wet she was growing from it as well. She reached between her legs and slipped her fingers between her wet folds.

"Ahh…," she called out as she inserted two fingers into her pussy.

Tom freed his stiff cock from his boxers as he sucked and kissed on Cassie’s asshole. He pulled back and spat on his palm for lubrication. He had a bottle of lube in the side table next to the bed but he was too in the moment to reach for it. Instead, he spat on his palm again and began to furiously stroked himself. He groaned as he jutted his tongue in and out of her hole.

"Oh…my…fucking god…Tom," Cassie called out as she began to increase the speed at which she pumped her fingers into her pussy. "Mmmm…baby…I…I…" Her toes curled and her body jerked as she came. She brought her fingers to her mouth and sucked off her juices.

Tom placed one last kiss on her cheeks before reaching into the drawer of the side table and pulling out a bottle of lube. He squeezed a couple of drops on the tips of his fingers before applying it to Cassie’s asshole. He rubbed some on his cock with one hand while he stuck two fingers into her ass.

He continued to stroke himself as he added a third finger into her ass. Cassie winced audibly at the feeling of him stretching her. “Relax,” Tom coaxed. He gently pumped his fingers in and out of her as he ran his large hand over her round ass. When he felt that she had become less tense, Tom removed his fingers and placed the tip of his cock against her asshole. “You ready?”

"Yes." Cassie griped the bed sheet tightly as he eased into her. "Fuck," she whispered. They didn’t do anal often and she still hadn’t fully gotten used to the feeling of him stretching and fucking her tight asshole.

"You okay?" She nodded but she clutched the sheets even tighter. "Relax, baby, okay? You know I’ll be as gentle as I can."

"I know," she said before looking over her shoulder at him and adding, "Now fuck me, daddy."

He gripped her hips and let out an “Ehehehehe.” He slowly pushed deeper into her before pulling back out at the same speed. He bit his lip as he continued to slowly thrust in and out of her ass. “Oh shit, Cas. You feel so good.”

"Mmm…y-yes…," Cassie called out as the initial pain turned to pleasure. "Har-harder…" She said this so softly that Tom didn’t hear her. "Fuck…me…harder!"

He obliged her and dug his into her flesh as he increased his speed. He looked down and watched as his cock repeatedly moved in and out of her. He smiled at the sight of the meat on her ass jiggling each time he slammed into her. He reared his hand back and slapped her hard on the ass; the sound of it echoed off the walls.

"Ah! Fuck! Yes!" Cassie called out. "Again," she called out as she threw her ass back to meet his rhythm.

Tom hit her harder on the opposite cheek. “You like when I slap this fat ass like that?”

"Oh god yes!"

Tom cotinued to slap her hard on the ass—rotating between cheeks. Tears had welled up in Cassie’s eyes from the intensity of the spankings but she buried her face in the mattress to cover it out of fear that if Tom had saw them he would stop fucking her hard.

And she did not want him to stop. He felt too fucking good.

Tom reach under her to rub her clit and found that she was soaking wet. “You love it when I fuck this tight ass?” Cassie nodded and mumbled a “yes” into the mattress. Tom grabbed her curls and pulled her head back causing her to yelp. “Say it again,” he barked. “Do you love when I fuck you in the ass?”

"Ye-yes," she screamed out.

Tom rubbed her clit faster. “C’mon, Cas. Come for me, darling.” Cassie’s mouth dropped open and her body shuddered as she came hard. She fell back on the mattress in exhaustion as Tom continued to stroke into her ass until he finally reached his own orgasm. He gritted his teeth and swore as he came inside her.

He fell next to her on the bed and pulled her close. She turned to face him and when she did he noticed her tear streaked face. “Oh no, Cas! I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to…”

She put her fingertips to his thin lips to silence him. “Don’t be sorry, babe. I’m okay. Just…a little sore is all.”

"I hate making you cry," he said softly while running his thumb across her face.

"I tell you what. You can make it up to me by: one, brushing the taste of my ass out your mouth so you can kiss me…"

Tom threw his head back in laughter. “Okay. And the second thing?”

"Run us a nice hot bath to soak in."

"Done!" He leaned in to kiss her but she put up her hand to stop him.

"Uh-uh! Ass mouth!"

'Right. Sorry.” Tom rose off the bed and started to walk to bedroom door. “But you gotta admit you loved it though.”

"I can neither deny or confirm that, sir!"

"Liar! I bet the next time I mention eating your ass it’ll be like Niagara Falls in your panties." Cassie gasped, grabbed a nearby pillow and tossed it at his head. Tom caught it and laughed before walking into the bathroom.


	4. Body Party

Cassie shuddered slightly as she sat her naked body on the cool hardwood floor of the living room. “Here,” Tom said as he wrapped his long arms around her. “Is that better?”

Cassie smiled and leaned back into his warmth. “Hmm…Yeah.”

Tom nuzzled his face into her neck and kissed it. “You sure you want to do this, babe?”

"Positive! Wait…are _you_ having second thoughts, Mr. Turn-A-Bitch-Out?”

Tom chuckled. “Listen…if you really want to try this then I’m good.”

"Good." She turned and kissed his cheek. "Now go tell them to bring their fine asses in here so we can get this started."

Tom rose and walked to his bedroom where Chris Hemsworth and Chris Evans were waiting. “Are you ready, guys,” he asked when he opened the door.

The Chrises were standing in their underwear and had been deep in conversation before Tom interrupted them. “Um…,” Evans said taking a few awkward steps toward Tom. “Sorta. I mean…are you guys sure you want to do this?”

"This was Cassie’s idea. And, well, mate…whatever she wants she gets."

The Chrises smiled. “Well then let’s not keep her waiting,” Hemsworth said before following Tom out the bedroom door.

They walked to the living room and saw Cassie sitting in the middle of the floor with her hands covering her humble breasts—most of the furniture had been moved to make room for what was about to take place. “Hello, boys,” she said in a seductive tone while looking up at them under her lashes.

The Chrises nodded but didn’t speak. Tom walked up to Cassie and leaned down to kiss her. She moaned at the feeling of him sucking on her bottom lip as he gripped her by the arms and gently lifted her to her feet. He stepped to the side before turning to his friends and asking, “Isn’t she lovely?”

"Yes. Stunning," the men replied as their eyes roamed all over her body. If she were pale skinned, she would have blushed under their lustful gaze. However, she found herself reveling in the way they licked and bit their lips at the sight of her. God she wanted them to touch her so badly.

"I don’t think it’s fair that I’m the only one nude."

"She’s right," Tom said while quickly pulling down his boxers and kicking them away from him. Cassie chuckled at his eagerness and rewarded him with a kiss. Hemsworth and Evans followed suit.

Cassie took a step back and admired the three naked men standing before her. They were all so impressive in their own way. Hemsworth was the most physically imposing—his abs looked like she could literally wash her clothes on them and he could probably squash a watermelon in his biceps. Evans physique was equally impressive. His shoulder-to-hip ratio was even more spectacular in the nude. And then there was Tom. Although he was the leanest of the three, he was nothing to scoff at. Cassie knew firsthand how he well he knew how to use those magnificent lips and fingers. She also knew how well those narrow hips moved when he fucked her and she lost count of all the orgasms she received from that cock of his. If she really had to pick a winner… it would be Tom by a mile.

She walked up to Evans first and ran her hands down his muscular chest and abs before moving them back up and across his broad chest. “Nice…,” she said before she clasped the back of his neck and brought him down for a kiss. Evans kissed her as if he had been dying to do so for months. His arms wrapped around the small of her back and pulled her closer too him. She moaned at the feeling of his tongue hungrily invading her mouth. His hands slowly moved down her back but stopped mere inches above her ass.

Cassie pulled back and whispered, “Touch me, Chris.” Without hesitation, Evans crushed his lips against hers and began to caress her ass. Cassie felt a shiver run up her spine as his fingers lightly touched the back of her pussy. She could feel his growing erection press against her stomach as his tongue traveled down her neck. She gently pushed away from him causing Evans to let out a frustrated groan. She smiled at the sound of it before moving to Tom.

Tom had been unabashedly stroking himself as he watched Cassie seduce his friend. “You’re such a tease, darling,” he said as he drew her close. Cassie giggled at the comment before Tom covered her mouth with his. He kissed her like the familiar lover he was. He knew where and how to kiss and touch her and each time he did she thanked him with a sigh or groan of pleasure.

She called out his name in shuddered breaths as he nibbled at the spot where her neck and shoulder met as two of his long fingers slid between her wet folds. She wrapped an arm around his shoulders as he grabbed and lifted one of her thighs so he could fully insert his long digits inside her. He managed to catch her bottom lip between his teeth as her mouth dropped open at the feeling of him fervently pumping his fingers in and out of her wet cunt. Both Chrises began to stroke themselves to the lewd sound of Tom’s fingers working at Cassie’s pussy.

"Sh-shit..," she whispered in ragged breaths as she came around Tom’s fingers. Tom gently lowered her leg and brought his come soaked fingers to his mouth and began to suck on them. "You just won’t play fair, will you?"

"Nope," Tom replied with a smirk before continuing to suck his fingers clean of her juices.

Cassie shook her head as she moved to Hemsworth. “Hello, Chris.”

"Cassie," he said as softly as his deep voice would allow. He gripped her face on one hand and used the other to pull her close as he kissed her. She was surprised at how tenderly he kissed her. She found herself smiling as he laid soft pecks on her lips, chin, and neck.

She gently pushed away from Hemsworth and fell to her knees before him. She wrapped her petite hands around his erect cock—all the men were of impressive size (Evans’ was the thickest; Hemsworth had Tom in length but only by an inch) but, again, if she had to chose a winner it would be Tom, who had both length and girth on his side.

Cassie rolled her tongue over the tip of Hemsworth’s cock causing him to hiss at the sensation of it. She kept her eyes locked on his as she licked the underside of his cock from base to tip before gleefully taking him in her mouth. Hemsworth threw his head back in ecstasy as she sucked and bobbed on his length. Evans continued to stroke himself as he watched; his face was slightly soured because he hadn’t received as much attention as Tom or Hemsworth.

"Don’t be shy," Tom said as his hand worked on his cock as well. "Fuck her mouth, Chris. She loves that."

Hemsworth looked down at Cassie and gave her a face that silently asked her permission to do so. With his cock still in her mouth, Cassie nodded a yes and Hemsworth immediately placed his hands on the side of her head. Cassie relaxed her jaw as he began fucking her mouth.

She reached between her legs and rubbed tiny circles on her clit causing her to hum around Hemsworth cock. He steadily increased his speed and soon he was fucking her mouth hard and fast. God how she loved the feeling of a cock hitting the back of her throat!

Hemsworth could feel his orgasm building and began to slow his thrusts. As badly as he wanted to come in her throat he had to save it for later. Cassie placed a kiss on the tip of his dick before rising and walking to Evans.

"Poor baby," she cooed before falling before him. "I left you high and dry, huh?"

"Yes, you did," Evans replied as he brought his cock to her lips, "but now you can make it up to me." Cassie flicked the tip with her tongue and flashed him a devious smile. He returned it and said, "Spit on my cock, Cas."

She would have never taken Evans to be the commanding type. She had to admit it was a pleasant surprise. She spat on his cock. “Again,” he said with his eyes locked on her plump lips. She obeyed. “Again.” She again complied. “Now lick it off.” He brought a hand to the back of her head as she began to lick her spit off his dick. He moved her head along his length with his hand. She ran her hands up his toned thighs and closed her eyes at the feeling of him guiding her head.

"Shit, Tom," Evans said between breaths. "You were right her mouth is divine."

"You should feel her cunt, Chris."

It was a shame that he wouldn’t know how it felt to be deep inside her. Neither Chrises would. The agreement was they could touch her in anyway—and she them—but they just couldn’t fuck her.

"Okay," Evans said as he released his hold on her head and easing out of her mouth. "I’m ready."

"Are you ready, Cas," Tom asked slowly stroking himself.

Cassie crawled back to the middle of the living room. She laid on the floor and spread her legs. She brought herself up on her elbows and ran her fingers between her folds. All three men felt as if they were about to burst as they watched her touch herself.

"Oh god please tell me you’re ready." She gave him a mischievous grin as she inserted a finger into pussy. Normally he loved when she teased him but not now. Not when he was mere seconds away from coming all over himself like a teenage boy having his first wet dream. "Cassie…please…"

She giggled at the sound of him begging her. She removed her finger and sucked her juices off of it. “Okay, boys.”

The men circled her and immediately began quickly jacking themselves. Tom came first. Cassie tilted her head back and let out an “ahhh” at the feeling of his hot come hitting her skin. Hemsworth followed next. He shot his load on her chest. Evans was last and he came over her stomach.

Cassie rubbed the hot fluid into her tits and sucked it off. She began to fuck her cunt with her fingers as the men continued to come all over her body.

"Cassie," Tom’s voice gently called her.

She wiped some come up with her finger and sucked the salty fluid off it.

"Cassie…," Tom called again.

She let out an “mmm” as the three men continued to come on her chest and stomach. She was about to get a load in the face from Tom but then she heard his voice yell her name for the third time.

"Cassie!" She jumped as she was abruptly pulled from her dream. "You okay," Tom asked.

"Yeah," she said slowly sitting up the bed. "I just…had the strangest dream."

"Sounded like it. What was it about?"

She waved her hand. “For the love of god don’t ask.”

"That weird, huh?"

Flashes of the dream replayed in her mind. She smiled as she traced her fingertips across her chest as if she actually remembered the feeling of the men’s hot come sitting upon it. “Actually…,” she said rising to plant a kiss on his cheek. “It wasn’t half bad.”


	5. Cherry (Part I)

Tom sat in his office staring at his computer screen. He was currently looking at his work schedule for the week. He had two meetings with his agent; four auditions (of which only one he was prepared for); four premieres to attend and he still hadn’t picked his suits or called his tailor; he had two dinners lined up in hopes of schmoozing the director into even considering him for a role; plus he had been getting very lazy with his running. He ran his large hands down his face and groaned loudly at the packed schedule.  
  
“Tom?” He looked through his fingers at Cassie. She was leaning against the door frame with a bowl in her hand (she was always eating something). He took a moment to take her in. It amazed him how beautiful she was even when she was dressed in her lounging clothes. Her curls were pulled back in a messy ponytail, the shirt she wore was at least two sizes too big for her and hung off one shoulder, the shorts underneath them—well could they even be called shorts?—clung to her in the most enticing way. “You okay, babe?”  
  
Her voice snapped his attention back. “Uh…yeah. I just…I have so much shit to do this week. I just want to lie in bed and not wake up ‘til next Sunday.”  
  
“Aww…poor baby.” She walked over to him and placed a soft kiss on his forehead causing him to smile. “Come watch TV with me. I’m watching Parks & Rec. A comedy will clear your mind.”  
  
He didn’t protest as she took his hand and gently guided him out of his office. Instead, he smiled to himself as he watched her ample behind bounce with each step she took. “So what’s happening,” he asked when they sat on the couch as he looped an arm around her.  
  
“Jerry just had a fart attack.”  
  
Tom let out a loud laugh. “A _what_?”

"A fart attack. He let out these long series of farts while having a heart attack."  
  
“Good lord…,” he said while still laughing. He spent most of the episode (and the following two) watching her. She was the perfect distraction. He would rest his head for a moment or two atop her lush curls and inhale that coconut scent that he loved so much. He smiled at the way her tittering laughter would cause her body to shake against his. He licked his lips as he watched her wrap her plump lips around the spoon of (what he found out to be the last of) the vanilla bean ice cream she had been snacking on before licking off the remaining treat. He wanted nothing more than to lick her like that from head to toe.

Cassie brought a fresh spoonful to her lips. “Shit,” she called out as a drop of the cool dessert landed on her bare thigh. She was about to spring up from the couch to grab a paper towel from the kitchen but stopped short when she felt Tom’s hand roaming up her thigh. “Tom, what are you—”

"Shh…" He dropped to the floor next to her. That creamy white delicacy blended so wonderfully against her dark brown skin. He just had to taste it. Cassie let out a soft moan as he licked up her thigh. "Mmm…," he said at the taste of the mixture of the sweet ice cream against the salty flavor of her skin.

He continued licking at her thigh until the last of the treat was gone. He pulled back and slowly spread her legs apart. Her wetness was apparent on the tight, bright colored shorts she wore. The shorts—booty shorts she had jokingly called them once—left nothing to the imagination. They hugged at her plump lower lips and begged him to taste them. She bit her bottom lip and rose slightly as he peeled her shorts off her narrow waist. He pulled her to the edge of the couch and placed a leg on each shoulder. He kissed her lower lips before separating them with his thumb and index and licking up her slit.

"Mmm, darling, you’re delicious," he said before returning his face back between her thighs. She closed her eyes and continued to let out soft moans as he expertly licked and sucked her clit.

Suddenly he pulled back from her and she let out a whimper. “No. Don’t stop,” she said gently between breaths. Her mouth dropped as he slowly eased two fingers into her.

"I want you to look at me while I’m eating you, Cas. Don’t take your eyes off me for even a second, understand." He knew it would be damn hard for her to do so—she could barely keep her eyes open now as his digits slowly moved in and out of her. Nevertheless, she nodded in agreement. "Good," he said with a devilish grin before his tongue started to work on her clit again.

Her hand gently caressed the back of his neck as she watched him rotated between licking and sucking her clit. His eyes never left hers. He watched her eyes fluttered and her bottom lip quivered as she fought against tossing her head back in ecstasy. The mischievous part within him—that just loved torturing her—wondered how long it would be before she said “fuck it” to his ridiculous command and gave in to the pleasure he knew his tongue and fingers elicited. She called out “Fuck!” as she grabbed a handful of his hair and he winced at the pain. Her eyes remained on his as she gently bucked her hips into his tongue. He could tell she was so close to giving in.

His pants tightened; his cock ached to be freed and either touched by him or to be deep inside her. He pressed his erection against the couch and rocked his hips in an attempt to alleviate it. He removed his fingers from within her, quickly sucked her juices off them, before replacing them with his tongue. His tongue steadily jutted in and out of her—only stopping to out an “mmm” at her bittersweet flavor—while he rubbed tiny circles on her clit with his fingers. She whimpered out, “Oh god, Tom…,” but didn’t break her focus with his eyes.

She also knew he could be a tortuous asshole and breaking any of his commands, no matter how ridiculous, would always end with some equally tortuous punishment; but—goddammit—she couldn’t fight it anymore. She clutched the back of the couch and squeezed her eyes shut as she came from his tongue. When she opened her eyes and looked back at him, she expected for him to have that playful stern face he usually would when she didn’t follow a command; but he didn’t.

Instead his face held a grin. He wiped his mouth with his hand before leaning over and kissing her. He pulled her legs up and, before she could protest, he licked up and down her slit again, rolled his tongue around her clit and then sucked on it.

"Nononono….," she murmured out as she gently rocked her hips against his lips. It didn’t take long for her to come again but it seemed that Tom was not satisfied with just two orgasms.

He rotated between fucking her with his tongue and his fingers. She cried out for mercy but Tom wouldn’t hear of it. He continued lapping at her pussy until she came again and again. He loved the taste of her on his tongue. He loved the way she pulled at his hair and forced him against her harder. He loved the melodic sound of her moans falling from those luscious lips of hers. He loved the way her toes curled and her body trembled as she came. To him this was heaven and nothing else.

"Please," Cassie softly cried, "No more, Tom." He placed one last kiss on her lower lips and chuckled when she shuddered as he did so. She leaned back against the couch in exhaustion. "You ain’t shit, Tom."

He laughed again. “I know. I know.” The phrase was a compliment to him that was only uttered when he, as she had told him once, really “put in work.” He felt like a failure as a lover if she didn’t mumble the phrase out in exhaustion.

He licked the last of her juices off his lips before rising to his feet, unintentionally putting his erection eye level with her face. Cassie immediately unbuckled his belt and reached for the zipper on his pants when Tom’s voice stopped her.

"Wait, Cas."

She furrowed her brow in confusion. “You don’t want me to help you with this?”

"I would love to but I can tell you’re tired."

"I don’t mind, babe."

"Yeah, but…How do I say this nicely?" He playfully tapped his chin with his index finger. "I don’t want a sloppy, half-sleepy blow job."

Cassie’s eyes widened and she let out a gasp. “You know what, bruh? You talking mad shit like your dick ain’t an inch away from these fists. Keep playing with me, Thomas.”

Tom laughed and put up his hands in mock defense. “Ooh. I’m so scared.”

"Oh, you should be." She rose off the couch and pushed him down on it with all her might. He smiled as she fell on her knees between his legs. "Because if there’s any two things you should know about me is that I love revenge," she slowly unzipped his pants causing his cock to spring free and gently kissed the tip of it, "and that I don’t play fair."


	6. Sweet Revenge (Part II)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The sequel to Cherry.

Tom smiled at the image of Cassie sitting between his legs with one hand wrapped around his cock as she delicately kissed the tip of it. “I don’t know, Cas,” he said as he swept away a stray curl that was blocking the view of her lovely face, “I’m feeling a lot of things but torture isn’t one of them.”

“Oh, daddy, that’s because I just got started.” She placed her palms on his thighs and lifted herself up to kiss his lips. The taste of her juices was still on them. “I have two rules: you can’t move your hips; and you can’t touch me.”

“What,” Tom asked with a slight chuckle.

“You heard me. You can’t move your hips and you can’t touch me. If you break either of these rules, you get punished.”

“Ooh. What’s the punishment, darling,” he asked with a devilish grin.

Cassie could tell that he wasn’t taking her threats seriously but she didn’t get upset. Instead she gave him a coy smile as she gently ran her fingertips down his cock. She kissed the tip again before spitting on it and the shaft. She kept her eyes locked on him as she licked up and down his shaft before returning to the head and taking him into her mouth. Tom closed his eyes and enjoyed the feeling of her bobbing and sucking on him length. He felt her hand wrap around his cock and begin to stroke and twist around him while her mouth continued to move up and down his length. The slurping sound her actions were producing drew his attention back to her. He loved the way she looked in that moment: her dark, desirous eyes locked on his blue ones while his pale cock repeatedly slipped in and out of her full mouth. He wanted her to take all of him in so he lifted a hand to bring it to the back of her head. As soon as his hand came within an inch of her face it was met with a hard slap on the back of it.

“Ouch! What was that for,” he exclaimed while rubbing the back of his hand. “I thought you loved when I fuck your face,”

Cassie pulled him out of her mouth and wiped the spit from the sides. “I warned you. No moving. No touching.”

“Shit. You were serious?”

She gave him a sly smile as she rose from off the ground. “I’m gonna have to teach you behave, Thomas.”

“Really,” he asked eagerly. His mind began to flood with a multitude of desirable “punishments.” “What are you going to do to me,” he asked.

“You’ll see. Go pull out a dining chair. I’ll be back in a minute.” Tom gave her a quick slap on the behind before she disappeared into the back of the apartment. He sprung up from the couch and pulled out one of the dining chairs and placed it in the middle of the dining area. “Sit down.” He jumped when he heard Cassie’s voice behind him. He turned to face her. Her hands were hidden behind her back and her face held a devious smile.

“What you got there?”

“You’ll see. Now sit.” Tom obeyed. Cassie sauntered up to him and he licked his lips at the way her narrow hips swayed and how her humble breasts bounced with each foot fall. He began to lazily stroke himself at the image. “You’ve been a very bad boy, Thomas.”

“I have,” he replied while still stroking himself.

“Whenever I’m a bad girl, what do you do to me,” she asked stopping inches from him.

Tom chuckled. “I punish you, love.” Cassie’s eyes fell to his mouth, mesmerized by the way his lips moved when he said the word “punish.” His continued to stroke himself as his left hand roamed up her right thigh before traveling over her hip and finally resting between her thighs. He ran his fingertips down her lower lips and Cassie allowed her eyes to close at the feeling of him touching her. He slipped a finger between her folds and said, “Ooh. I see you’re wet again, love.”

“Mmm-hmm,” she murmured. She was so lost in the feeling of his fingers moving in and out of her that she forgot that _she_ was supposed to be punishing _him._ “Wait,” she said before pulling his fingers out of her and stepping back. “I’m not gonna fall for that again, Tom. Now hold out your hands.” Tom brought the fingers that were inside her to his lips and licked her juices off of them before stretching out both hand in front of him. When he did, she pulled a pair of handcuffs from behind her back.

Tom let out an “ooh” at the sight of them. “We haven’t played with those in a while,” he said while she cuffed one wrist and pulled it behind them before cuffing the other. “You do have the key on you, right, darling?” Cassie jiggled a bracelet on her wrist that held the tiny silver key to the handcuffs before moving back in front of him and falling to her knees between his legs.

A devilish grin grew on her face as she slowly licked up one side of his shaft and down another before lifting his cock and taking his balls in her mouth. “Oh, shit,” Tom called out at the feeling of her sucking on them. She began stroking his shaft while she continued sucking on him. Tom desperately wanted to grab her or, at the very least, brush those few stray curls that had fallen in front of her face away but, obviously, he couldn’t.

Cassie laughed as she watched him fight against the handcuffs. “Giving in already,” she teased. “And I’m just getting started.” She slowly ran her tongue across the head of his cock again before fully wrapping her lips around it. She bobbed her head up and down his length tortuously slow. He bit his lip and bounced his leg in a weak attempt to not move his hips. He gave in and gently rocked his hips. He immediately regretted doing so because Cassie quickly pulled him out of her mouth. “What did I say, Thomas.”

“Uh, no touching…”

“And what else,” she coaxed as she lazily stroked him.

“N-no moving…Cassie, please.”

“Hmm…maybe I should have some mercy seeing as you look so pretty when you’re begging.” She rose off the floor and straddled him. Tom let out a loud groan at the feeling of her weight and warmth pressed against his aching cock.

“Cassie, please…,” he begged.

“Do you want to be inside me, Thomas.”

“Yes.”

She grabbed a handful of his hair and pulled his head back. “I can’t hear you, darling. Do you want to be inside me?”

“Yes!”

“Say you want me to fuck you.”

“I want you to fuck me.”

She rocked her hips against him causing him to let out a swear. “Hmm…louder, baby. I can’t hear you.”

“F-fuck, Cas—I WANT YOU TO FUCK ME!”

Cassie giggled while still rocking her hips against his length. He started to beg again but she cut him out with a wet kiss on the lips. Their lips were still attached as she rose and lowered a hand between her thighs and guided him inside her. Tom threw his head back in ecstasy as he bounced on his dick. He continued to wrestle against the cuffs as she rode him. He wanted to touch her; to grab a handful of those curls and pull her head back; to grip and smack her ass. Most of all, he wanted to thrust up into her. (He loved watching her bottom lip quiver as he relentlessly fucked her).

He tried to behave. He really did. But he could no longer resist bucking his hips in an attempt to meet her rhythm. He was sure she would stop like she had earlier but she didn’t. She nibbled on his jaw as she continued to ride him. “Are you close, baby,” she asked before licking and biting his neck.

“Yeah,” he panted.

“Good,” she said. She watched his face as she rode him. When she saw him tense his jaw, she knew that he was mere seconds away from coming. She promptly hopped off of him.

“Wh-what the hell, Cas? Why’d you stop?”

“What were my rules,” she asked as she sat back between his legs.

“Godda—no touching; no moving.”

“And what did you do?”

“Cassie, please.”

His begging was like music to her ears. “What. Did. You. Do?”

“I-I fucking moved!”

“Right. And for that. You don’t get to come.” Tom let out a string of curse causing Cassie to giggle. She began teasing the head of his cock again with her tongue as she stroked him.

“Ah! Ah! I-I swear I won’t move again, Cas! Please, let me come!” She shook her head “no” before taking him in her mouth again. “Cassie…Pl-Please…,” he panted as she kneaded his balls in one hand while mercilessly continuing to stroke, lick and suck on him. He was close again but he fought against giving in to his orgasm. “Cas, I can’t hold it! Please, baby!”

Cassie freed him from her mouth and straddled him again. “Beg for it again, honey.”

“Cas, for the love of God, _please_ let me come!” Even though she _really_ loved the sound of him begging, she decided that he had had enough. She lowered herself on him again and began bouncing on him. “Oh…Ah…I don’t think I can hold out any longer.”

“Go ‘head, baby. Come for me.” With those words, Tom finally gave in to the building pressure and came. Cassie let out an “mmm” at the feeling of his hot seed shooting into her. Cassie removed the bracelet from her wrist and, without leaving his lap, reached behind Tom and quickly unlocked one handcuff.

As soon as he was free he wrapped an arm around the small of her back and pulled her into a kiss. “Damn,” he said once their lips separated. “That was amazing. I didn’t know you had that in you, kid.”

“I warned you. I don’t play fair.”

“No, you do not,” he replied as he cuffed the free brace around her delicate wrist.

“What’s this,” she asked while entwining her fingers into his.

He slapped her ass with his free hand and smiled. “Round three.”


	7. Private Eyes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cassie walks in on Tom in a compromising position.

Tom sat at his computer checking over his inbox that seemed to be spilling over with unread messages. He yawned as he opened a message from his agent reminding him that his next audition had be moved from next Wednesday to this Saturday. He rolled his eyes and yawned again as he made the adjustment to his calendar. God he could sure use a distraction. Unfortunately, Cassie wouldn’t be off work until later that afternoon so he needed to find some other way to entertain himself. A smile crooked in the corner of his face as he opened a private browser window and typed in the site from memory.

Finding a good porn was always so hard. There were so many options to choose from and most of them weren’t any good. (And the “ebony” section was even worse). Yet, in spite of all this, he managed to find a good video. The girl in it reminded him of Cassie. Her large mane atop her head was dark brown and not reddish brown but it was curly like Cassie’s. Her skin tone was also the same shade and her petite frame and round ass reminded him of Cassie as well. He eagerly clicked play on the video.

_______________

Cassie dragged herself into the apartment. She told her boss she wasn’t feeling well and he let her leave early. It was understandable seeing as she had been working double shifts every day for the past week and a half. All she wanted to do was crawl into bed and sleep the rest of the day away. She let out a yawn as she shuffled to the bedroom. She passed Tom’s office where she heard a low groaning sound. She raised an eyebrow in confusion. She was sure he had an errand list a mile long. She opened the door to greet him but stopped when she saw him.

His head was tossed back and his mouth hung open. One hand clutched the edge of his desk the other stroked and twisted around his cock. There was a porn of two black women going at each other playing on his laptop.

A small smile crooked on Cassie’s face. A part of her felt that she should have been a tiny bit embarrassed for intruding on her lover pleasing himself; but another part just couldn’t resist the arousal building in her. Her earlier exhaustion had seemed to dissipate completely. She squeezed her thighs together as her eyes bounced from Tom to the women in the video. The petite curly headed one was sucking on her voluptuous partner’s tit as she finger fucked her. She heard Tom groan again and she looked back at him. His eyes were back on the screen and he was stroking himself faster now. Cassie was growing wet. She bit her lip. Should she?

She unbuttoned her skirt and slid her fingers into her panties. She moved her fingers between her folds as her eyes darted between the women in the video and Tom. The fact that he didn’t know that she was standing in the doorway touching herself as she watched him added to the allure. She inserted two fingers in herself and bit her lips harder to silence the moan that was dying to escape from her lips.

Tom grit his teeth as he continued to furiously stroke himself; his eyes fixated on the screen in front of him. The curly haired woman in the video was now crying out as voluptuous woman was fucking her hard from behind with a glass dildo. Cassie closed her eyes and imagined it was her getting fucked by a beautiful woman while Tom sat nearby touching himself as he watched them. She began to move her fingers in and out of herself quickly now.

Tom was so close. He closed his eyes and wished it was Cassie’s warm, wet cunt that was wrapped around his cock now not and not his hand. “F-fuck,” he called out as he came. His seed oozed out his tip and ran down his hand. He licked some of it off and smiled at the slightly salty taste. He reached for the box of tissues that sat on the corner of his desk to clean himself. As he wiped himself, he heard a soft pant that stood out from the loud cries of the women in the video that was still playing.

He turned around and saw Cassie standing in the doorway with her hand in her panties. He smiled devilishly as he watched her. He just couldn’t resist the urge to toy with her. “You naughty girl.”

Upon hearing his voice, Cassie gasped and quickly removed her hand. She tried to stumble out an apology but her embarrassment of getting caught took her words from her.

Tom laughed as he stalked towards her. “You love watching me touch myself, you little spy?” Again Cassie’s embarrassment silenced her. Dammit! Why didn’t she just close the door and go to bed?

Tom placed a hand on the wall next to her. “Well what are you waiting for, darling? Finish.” Cassie slowly slipped her fingers back between her lower lips. Tom licked his thin lips as he watched hers quiver as her fingers worked on her pussy. She started to close her eyes but Tom stopped her. “No, Cas. Look at me.” She tried to keep her eyes locked on him as she pumped her fingers in and out of herself but she couldn’t.

Tom roughly grabbed her face with his large hand. The action aroused her even more. “Look. At. Me.” He resisted the urge to smile as her eyes fluttered in an attempt to keep from closing. He was growing hard again at the sound of her fingers moving in and out of her wet cunt. “Touch me,” he commanded.

His breathing hitched as he felt her warm hand wrap around his cock. Their eyes remained locked on one another as she steadily moved her hand up and down his shaft. He panted as he grew harder in her hand. He bucked his hips slightly as he leaned down and sucked on her bottom lip. His hand moved from her face down to her clit. She started to gasp at the feeling of his fingers rubbing against her but he pressed his lips against her harder.

He pulled away from her mouth and whispered, “Come for me.” He pressed his fingers against her clit a lit harder as he frantically rubbed it. The hand that was wrapped around his cock moved slower now as she swiftly pumped her fingers in and out of her pussy. Tom watched with a smile as Cassie’s lids fluttered and her eyes roll back as she came. He let out a swear as she inadvertently tightened her grip on his cock as she shuddered out the last of her orgasm.

“Show me,” he ordered. Cassie showed him her fingers soaked in her juices. She slowly pulled her fingers apart and Tom licked his lip at the sight of the thin trail of come that connected between the digits. “Good girl. Now get on the floor and spread your legs.”

Cassie again obeyed without protest. She let out a small “ooh” at the feeling of the cold hardwood floor against her warm skin. Tom fell to his knees, pulled her panties to the side, and slammed into her without hesitation. He grabbed her hand and sucked her juices off them as he fucked her hard on the floor. Cassie wrapped her legs around his waist and let out cries of pleasure as she bucked her hips in an attempt to meet his frantic rhythm. Her cries were silenced as Tom jutted his tongue in her mouth and wrestled against hers. She moaned at the faint taste of her pussy that remained on his tongue.

He traced his tongue down her cheek, then across her jaw, before landing at the crevice between her neck and shoulder and biting it. She called out his name and raked her nails down his back. He threw back his head and clenched in teeth in response. He rammed into her faster and Cassie trembled as his cock kissed against that spot inside her. They both swore as they came. Her pussy clenched around him; his cock pulsed and filled her with his seed.

They collapsed into a sweaty pile on the floor. Tom rolled off her and fell next to her on the floor. Cassie placed soft kisses on his lips and nose. “I should spy on you more often,” she joked.

“You really should,” he replies with a grin as he traced his fingers across the features of her face. She looked even more beautiful in her post-orgasmic high. He almost didn’t want to get up. “Shower?”

She grabbed his hand and kissed his fingertips. “Not yet. Let’s just lay here a little while longer.”

Tom nodded in agreement and pulled her close to him. He danced his fingers across her skin. She closed her eyes and melted into the warmth of his touch. The exhaustion that had threatened to overtake her earlier won out and she drifted off to sleep. The feeling of her warm breath against his neck and the sound of her soft snoring soon lulled him to sleep as well.


	8. Snow Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tom and Cassie try to keep warm during a blizzard.

Tom looked out the frost covered window and gave a long whistle at the thick snow that laid on the ground outside. He closed the blinds and walked back to the couch where Cassie was sitting with her legs crossed and her laptop on resting on her thighs as she surfed the internet. “I’m sorry darling,” he told her as he planted a soft kiss on her forehead causing her to smile. “I honestly didn’t think the weather would be this bad.”

“It’s okay. As long as I got my hot chocolate, a warm room, and my fine ass man by my side I’m good.”

“Ooh,” Tom wrapped his long arms around her neck and kissed the side of her face, “I love it when you call me your ‘fine ass man.’”

Cassie chuckled. “Really? That’s such a weird thing to love.”

“It’s the way you say it.” He repeated the phrase again this time while mimicking her southern accent causing her to let out another chuckle. “What are you doing online,” he finally asked her after a moment.

“Well, since we’re snowed in and can’t go shopping like you promised me I decided to do it online. It’s better this way since my southern ass can’t take any temperatures below sixty.” Tom gave his signature laugh and was about to say something in return when the lights began to flicker. “Whoa. What the hell was that?”

“I don’t know. Power surge perhaps?” Tom peaked through the blinds out the window again in hopes of seeing any downed power lines but couldn’t make out anything though the now heavily frosted window. The lights flickered again. He decided to call the front desk. He walked to the bedroom and picked up the phone receiver and brought it to his ear. “Shit,” he whispered at the lack of a dial tone.

“Everything okay?”

Tom jumped at the sound of Cassie’s voice. He hadn’t noticed her follow him into the bedroom. “Uh…no. Line’s dead.”

Cassie frowned at the news. “Well, let’s go downstairs—we’re not getting on that elevator with the electricity acting all wonky—and talk to the main desk ourselves.”

Tom nodded in agreement and they both slid on their slippers and headed for the door. However before they even reached the couch in the living area the room went dark. Cassie first gasped at the sudden darkness and again at Tom grabbing her hand. “It’s okay. It’s just me.”

She exhaled a breath of relief. Of course it was Tom. They were the only two in the hotel room. She shook her head at her foolishness. She was too damn old to still be afraid of the dark. She blamed her cousin Sean for telling her those horror stories about the demon that hid in the shadows and loved to eat little curly haired girls. She knew that the creature didn’t exist in real life yet she couldn’t help but to latch onto Tom’s upper arm and lean into his body. Tom pulled her along as he trudged through the living area letting out occasional swears whenever his foot or knee would hit a chair or side table. The lights suddenly flickered back on and Tom let out a thankful sigh before strutting to the door with Cassie still firmly gripping onto his arm.

Tom opened the door and wasn’t surprised to find the hallway crowded with the other guests excitedly talking over one another. He was about to ask if any of them had gone to check the main desk yet but was interrupted by a high, thin voice that was so grating it could be heard over the various conversations being held. “People! People, please,” the voice belonged to the head manager. “I know you might be a little upset—”

“You’re goddamn right we’re upset,” a tall, burly man with a thick red mustache roared. “I didn’t take a week off of work to come to this overpriced resort and sit in the dark!” Other guests chimed in their agreement.

“Well, sir, the blizzard was…rather unexpected—”

“Horse hockey,” the man interrupted again. Cassie didn’t bother holding back a chuckle at the peculiar turn of phrase which sounded even stranger in his thick accent that she couldn’t place. Tom looked at her and joined in her laugh. “I demand to know what you’re going to do about this!”

The manager opened his mouth again to speak but the hallway went dark again causing the impatient guests to bellow out their displeasure again. “Now…wait…if you all would just…Please! I’m trying to explain…Please, please, please!” The manager continued trying to speak but the crowd wouldn’t hear it. Tom sighed at the commotion. He could feel Cassie’s grip tighten around his arm. He entwined it around her and pulled her even closer. “People, if you would just let me—” Suddenly the hallway was filled with a flood of red lights. The sound of the roaring crowd began to dull to questioning mumbles.

“What’s this here,” the burly man asked the manager.

The manager’s features were covered by the red lights but Tom could make out the exasperation that held to them. “It’s the emergency lights,” he spoke for the beleaguered man. “Right?”

“Yes, sir,” the manager weakly replied. “It is. That’s what I was trying to tell you all. The emergency lights would kick in once the power was completely out.”

“What about the rest of the electricity,” an America teenager asked from the back of the crowd. “Will we at least be able to watch TV?”

“Not right away, no.” There was another rumble from the crowd.

“Hey! Let the man finish,” Cassie chimed in. She was just as frustrated as the rest of the people but interrupting the manager and complaining wasn’t solving any problems either.

“Thank you, ma’am.” The manager gave her an exhausted smile before continuing. He hoped the rest of the staff was having a better time explaining the situation to the other patrons on the lower floors than he was on this one. In his nearly thirty years of experience he had learned that the higher up the floors, the richer the clientele; the richer the clientele, the less patience they had for any unfavorable circumstances. “It will take at least an extra couple of hours for the electricity to come back on. This is an old hotel and, therefore, the circuits are old so it will take a while for everything to return to normal. But I assure you all that by at least,” he looked at his watch and squinted the numbers into focus, “by at least one o’clock the lights and the heat should be working just fine.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa,” Cassie said. “What do you mean ‘the heat should be working just fine’?”

“Uh, well, ma’am, the heat works on the same grid as the electricity so—”

“Wait, I don’t mean to interrupt you, sir, but there’s a goddamn blizzard outside. The news said the temperatures were expected to be in the negatives! And you want us to just…wait that out…for a _couple_ of hours? _At least!_ ”

“She’s right,” an older woman agreed. “What are we supposed to do for two or more hours? My husband has arthritis! How are we supposed to keep warm?”

“U-uh…,” the manager stumbled out, “um, bundle up?” The response incited the anger of the crowd again.

“Let’s go, Cas,” Tom said in her ear. “We don’t want to be witnesses to what’s about to happen.” They both returned to their room and closed the door on the loud commotion taking place in the hallway.

“Two hours! At least,” Cassie groaned while shaking her head. “Two hours,” she murmured again before busting out into a laugh.

“What’s so funny,” Tom asked with a smile. He loved the sound of her laughter.

“‘Horse hockey!’” Tom joined in the laugh. “That’s some shit my grandmother would say. Not horseshit…horse _hockey_! That’s so funny it almost makes this entire situation bearable. Almost.”

Tom grabbed her hand. “Come on.”

“Where are we going?”

“To ‘bundle up.’ The manager was right about that. We do need to keep warm. Come here,” he pulled her close to the window, “Do you feel that cold coming through.” Cassie shuddered and wrapped her arms tighter around her before nodding her head. “That’s only going to get worse if we don’t insulate ourselves now.” He gently pulled her to the bedroom. Once inside he began pulling the bottom of her sweater up.

Cassie swatted his hand away. “Hey! You said we were supposed to ‘insulate ourselves.’”

“Yes.”

“So, how is getting me naked supposed to do that, exactly?”

Tom laughed. “I swear it’s legit. Our bodies will produce more heat if we strip down and wrap up in each other’s arms.” Cassie folded her arms across her humble chest and made a face that said that she didn’t believe him in the slightest. Tom chuckled at the face before lightly pinching the tip of her nose. She swatted his hand away causing him to laugh again.

“I’m not finna freeze to death because you’re horny, Thomas.”

“You won’t freeze to death, _Cassandra_!” Cassie made another face at him using her full name but he was unfazed by it and continued his thought, “I mean you _will_ freeze if you don’t strip down and get under the covers with me.” Tom paused. “Okay, I know that sounds like a bad line but I swear it’s not. Now, come one, lift your arms for me.”

Cassie relented and let him undress her—she insisted on keeping her socks on because they were thermal—before removing his own clothes next. They both let out hisses at the feeling of the cold against their bare flesh. Tom quickly pulled back the thick covers on the bed and signaled for her to get under them. Cassie didn’t hesitate to bounce on the bed; Tom slid in next to her. He then proceeded to tuck in her in as best he could before wrapping his arms and legs around her tiny frame. She laid her head in his chest and twisted one leg around his waist while her arms wrapped under his shoulders.

“See now,” Tom said after a moment. “Isn’t this much better?”

Cassie, who had closed her eyes to the building warmth, nodded. “Yeah. This was actually a really good idea.”

“Told you it would be. I had to do this once in my final year at Eton when my friend’s car broke down one winter.”

“That must’ve been fun.”

“Eh…not really. There were three of us and he kept asserting that he was ‘not queer whatsoever.’”

“Ew.”

“Yep.” They lay quietly in each other’s arms for a few more minutes until the sound of Cassie’s soft snoring began to fill the room. Tom smiled at the sound of it before laying his head in her lush curls and drifting off to sleep.

————————

Tom awoke first. Cassie’s repeated stirring at his chest pulled him from his intense sexual dream. He let out a soft annoyed groan at waking up before it was finished. To make matters worse his erection was firmly planted between her warm thighs and every movement of her narrow hips worsened his condition. He tapped her shoulder. “Cassie.” She grumbled, turned her head, and rocked her hips (which made him immediately regret disturbing her) but didn’t wake. He grabbed her upper arms and gently freed himself from her grip. She let out another low mumble before turning on her side (again without waking). He tossed onto his back and looked at the time on the clock on the table next to him. It was a little after two thirty in the afternoon. He pulled the covers down partly and shuddered at the coldness in the room. Apparently the heat hadn’t come back on but the room was no longer filled with red light which meant that the electricity had come back on. At least that’s what he _hoped_ it meant.

“Goddammit,” Tom angrily whispered. It was one thing to be snowed in but it was another to have to die from hypothermia because the (supposedly) five-star resort didn’t have the proper resources to prevent it. “Goddammit,” Tom said again; this time loud enough to rouse Cassie from her sleep.

“Mmm…Oh fuck,” she exclaimed at the feeling of the cold against her skin. “The heat _still_ isn’t back on yet? Jesus Christ!”

Tom pulled her back close to him and they re-bundled themselves. “I’m sorry, Cas. This whole thing is fucked. I just wanted to take you on a nice vacation.”

“It’s okay, babe,” she said into his chest. “Honestly, this isn’t the worst vacation I’ve ever had.”

“Oh no?”

“No. Remind me to tell you about the Great Puke Trip of ’95 sometime.”

Tom laughed. “That simultaneously sounds like one of your best stories and your most disgusting. I am intrigued.” A cold shiver suddenly hit him causing his body to tremble from it. “We have to find a better way to keep warm until that goddamn heat kicks in.”

He looked down at her. Her eyes were closed and her fingers where making tiny circles in his thin chest hairs. He smiled mischievously. There was _one_ way he knew to keep warm. He slowly moved his hand down from her shoulder to her back before moving lower and resting it on the curve of her ass. He was sure she would swat it away like she normally would but she didn’t. Instead she gave a sly smile and, with her eyes still closed, trailed her hand down his chest and abs before resting on the V-line on his right hip.

Tom pulled her thigh up with one hand—causing her leg to caress against the hairs on his thighs. He dropped the hand on that was resting on her ass lower and gently touched the back of her lower lips. She shuddered in response and rubbed her leg across his cock. Tom began to gently separate her pussy lips with his middle finger but she stopped him. “Wait. I’m not wet enough.”

Tom brought his fingers to his mouth to suck on them but Cassie grabbed his hand before he could. She positioned herself on top of him so that she was now sitting on his cock. Tom nearly groaned at the feeling of her warmth on him. He wanted to be inside her so badly. Usually when they were both this hungry for one another they would severely cut down the foreplay time—or skip it all together—and just use their lube. Unfortunately, the bottle of lube wasn’t anywhere near them and neither of them wanted to risk getting from under the warm covers to go in search of it. Cassie brought his fingers to mouth and immediately sucked on two of them.

He watched as she rolled her tongue around one digit before nimbly moving to the second and back again. “Fuck,” he called out as she began to rock her hips on his straining length. It was hard to be patient when her warmth was calling him inside her. Cassie pulled his fingers from her mouth and brought them between her legs. Their mouths hungrily met as he rubbed his wet fingers between her folds. When he slipped one digit then another inside her, Cassie eagerly rocked against his palm. She exhaled soft moans into his mouth with each movement of her hips.

Tom began to quickly pump his fingers in and out of her wetness causing it to pool in the palm of his hand. The lewd sound of his fingers working at her pussy echoed off the walls of the still room. He caught her full bottom lip between his thin ones and sucked on it. When he finally freed it, she licked her lips and cried out, “T-T-Tom!” He could tell she was close. He made a “come hither” motion inside her with his fingers. He smiled when he felt her pulse and clench around them as she came. She fell to his chest with a satisfied smile.

Tom pulled his fingers from inside her and showed her the come resting on them. “Look at the mess you made, Cas.” He brought his fingers together then spread them causing a trail of come to connect between them. “Clean them,” he commanded. Without hesitation, Cassie wrapped her lips around his hand and let out an “mmm” at her flavor on them. While she sucked on his fingers, Tom guided his cock to her entrance and slowly filled her. Her mouth dropped open as he inched inside her. She rocked her hips until he was fully inside her. She took his fingers back into her mouth as she slowly rode him.

Tom gripped her thigh with his free hand before moving it up and resting it on her hip. “Kiss me,” he said. She moved her mouth from his hand to his lips. He let out an “mmm” as he sucked the savor of her pussy off her tongue. He moved his hand down to the other side of her hip and firmly gripped it. She moaned into his mouth as he began to thrust up into her. She bounced on his dick in an attempt to meet his rhythm but maintained his hold on her hips. He sunk his nails into her flesh as he moved her hips on him. Cassie closed her eyes and let him guide her.

One hand moved from her hip to the back of her head. He grabbed a handful of her curls and pulled her head back. Tom’s mouth moved from hers to her now exposed neck. He licked and bit at the crevice where it and her shoulder met. Cassie exhaled sighs of pleasure as he continued to lick at bite at her neck while still pumping up into her. The covers that had been resting around her shoulders fell down to her back causing a stream of cold air to hit both of their skin; but the chill temperature felt like a welcome breeze to the heat the two had successfully generated under the covers.

Tom wrapped an arm around her lower back; the other came across the top of her back and held Cassie’s frame closer to his. When she was perfectly clenched between his arms, he switched up his rhythm and began to quickly thrust up into her. Cassie’s mouth dropped open at the change of speed. “Tom-ah!-ah!-ah!-ssss,” she called out. He laughed at the way his name fell from her lips. He placed sporadic kisses and bites across her neck and jaw line as he continued to stroke into her. “I-I’m g-gonna…,” Cassie said at the feeling of her building orgasm. “F-fuck!” Cassie pulsed and clenched around Tom’s cock as she finally came.

“Shit! Cas,” Tom called out before gnashing his teeth and coming after her. He fell back on the bed in exhaustion; Cassie fell on top of him. “Well,” he said between pants, “that should keep us warm for at least another half hour.”

“Yep,” Cassie panted in agreement. “We just have to keep doing that until the storm let up. However long that takes.”

A loud rattling sound caught both of their attention. “What’s that,” Cassie asked. Tom shrugged his shoulders in response while looking around the room for the cause of the noise. The rattling continued followed by quick gust of cold air from the vents. A few seconds later a rush of warm air flew out of the vents. “Oh thank god,” Cassie cried out before finally rolling off of Tom and lying next to him on the bed. “I love you, dude, but I don’t think I could take being fucked like that non-stop for however long. A girl can only take so much!”

Tom let out a loud laughed and turned on his side. “I’ll take that as a compliment.” He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her close. He grazed his thumb across her nipple as he laid his head in her curls. “You know,” he began, “It’s going to take a while before the room gets warm again.” He moved his hand down her toned stomach and rested it between her thighs. “We should go at least another round. You know, for our health.” He moved a finger between her folds that were still wet with a mixture of their come.

Cassie giggled as she wiggled her hips. “Hmmm….yes…for our health,” she said as she brought a hand down over his. She let out a soft moan as he began to move his fingers in and out of her. “Ah…,” she said while curving her ass into his growing erection, “you just refuse to be shit, huh?”

He chuckled before whispering low in her ear, “Well, you know me, Cas.”


	9. Peggy Pokes Presents...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> That title is an inside joke between ChanelLovesTom and I. 
> 
> This one shot is all about the joy of pegging. Enjoy!

Jay-Z’s “Song Cry” blasted through Tom’s headphones as he jogged down the sidewalk. He turned the corner and noticed a delivery van parked in front of his home. The driver groaned as he climbed down out of the truck. “Hello, there,” Tom greeted him.

“Hello. Are you,” he looked at the name on the clipboard in his hand, “Tom…Huddleston?”

“Hiddleston,” Tom corrected with a smile, “and, yes, I am.”

“Package for you.”

“I see that.” Tom stretched out his hands to receive the package but the driver pulled it way.

“It needs a signature,” he said as he handed him the clipboard. “Sign here, Mr. Huddleston.”

“It’s _Hiddleston_ ,” Tom corrected again this time with a frustrated sigh. He signed for the delivery and handed the clipboard back to the driver.

“Okay…You have a good day, Mr. Huddleston,” the driver said as he marched back to his van.

“It’s…oh, never mind.” Tom turned and walked to his front door while mumbling “asshole” under his breath. “I wonder what this is,” he asked himself aloud before reading the address. Once he saw the name he let out a loud chuckle and entered his residence. “Cassie,” he called out. “Cas!”

“I’m in the kitchen!”

Tom smiled as he headed her direction. “Mmm…what is that delicious smell,” he asked as he set the box on the island.

“Turkey bacon. I’m making spinach omelettes next.”

He wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her neck. “My little chef.”

She giggled and closed her eyes to the feeling of his lips on her. “Hmm…don’t thank me just yet. I’m only doing this so you can cook dinner tonight.” He laughed again before stealing a piece of finished bacon and nibbling on it. “What’s in the box?”

“Oh! I almost forgot.” He opened a drawer next to the sink and closed it. “Do you remember that thing I was telling you about a couple of weeks ago?” He opened another drawer and closed it.

“What thing,” Cassie asked as she removed the final strips of bacon from the pan. “Watch out this is still out,” she warned Tom before setting it in the sink of warm waiting water. She pulled out a bag of fresh spinach and a box of eggs from the fridge. She cracked a few eggs into the waiting bowl on the island.

“That, uh…” He was still opening and closing random drawers. “Baby, where’s the scissors?”

“Top left drawer.”

“No, I already looked there.” Cassie sighed and opened the drawer and pulled out a pair of scissors. “I swear they weren’t there a minute ago.”

“Unh-huh,” she said with a smile before returning to the breakfast she was preparing.

“Anyway…,” began as he cut the sides of the tape on the box. “Remember a few weeks back when we were discussing our fantasies and there was that thing that I’ve always wanted to do.”

Cassie’s eyes shot up from the spinach she was cutting. “You mean…?” Tom nodded his head. She put the knife down and wiped her hands on the bottom of the apron she was wearing. “It came already?” She dug into the large delivery box and pulled out some of its contents. “Damn, they sure gave us a lot of lube.”

“How much?” Tom reached into the box and pulled out two bottles. He looked at the bottles that Cassie had already taken out. “That’s five bottles!”

“Right,” Cassie agreed with a laugh. “What the fuck did they think we would be doing?”

“I don’t know but it might have something to do with this.” Cassie returned her focus to Tom and saw that he had pulled out a large realistic pink dildo.

Cassie’s mouth dropped open in surprise at the toy before she folded her arms across her chest and gave Tom a sour look. “That’s the last time I let you go toy shopping for us!”

“I swear, Cas, I didn’t do it. I would never pick something so gaudy. Besides, this damn thing is making me feel real insecure.” He let out a loud laugh at the ridiculously large toy. He looked back at Cassie but she still wasn’t smiling. “Seriously! I didn’t! Here I’ll prove it to you.” He reached into the box and pulled out the only remaining item: a receipt. He handed it to her.

Cassie read over the invoice. “‘Twelve inch dildo; price: free.’ Why would they give you a free dildo?” she asked as she handed the receipt back to him.

Tom shrugged as he read over the invoice. “I don’t know. There was a deal going on at the time. I might have accidentally clicked something while looking at them.”

“Yeah. Just like you ordered all this damn lube.”

“I did not!” She pointed to item number on the bill. “Oh. Well, uh, better safe than sorry?” Cassie laughed and returned to the food she was preparing. “So…,” Tom picked up a large box and shook it at her. “Can we try now?”

“Before breakfast? You sure?”

“We can eat it afterwards. I’ll sure we’ll build up an appetite. Besides…,” he placed the box back on the island, wrapped an arm around her waist, and pulled her to him, “I have a taste for something else.”

\---------------------

Their toys—both new and old—sat on the bed as well as a bottle of lubricant. Tom sat on the edge of the bed; Cassie stood between his legs. She gently grabbed his ears and kissed him on the lips before reaching for the bottom of her shirt and pulling it over her head. Tom smiled at the image of bare humble breasts. He cupped them in his hands and ran his thumbs over her nipples. His smile broadened as they hardened under his touch. He pulled her closer and placed tender kisses between her breasts. He pulled back and grabbed the waistband of her shorts and slipped them off her narrow hips. He removed his shirt before moving his hands up her thighs and resting them on her ample behind. He gave her a quick slap on a cheek before grabbing her and flipping her onto the mattress.

Her giggle at his sudden movements turned into a moan as he trailed his tongue up her stomach to her breast and lightly bit on her nipple. He rolled his tongue around her nipple before taking her tit in his mouth and sucking on it. He squeezed her breasts together and moved his tongue across them. Cassie ran her tongue across the top of her tit and met Tom’s tongue. He captured her tongue in his mouth and sucked on it before releasing it to kiss across her jaw line. He then moved to her neck, back down her chest and stomach before finally resting his head between her legs.

He kissed and slowly licked her lower lips. She moaned and arched her back as he wiggled the tip of his tongue between her lips. He fully separated her lips with his index and thumb and continued to lick between them only stopping to let out an “mmm” at her taste. He slipped two fingers inside her wetness, pumped them slowly a couple times, and removed them again. He licked her juices off them then slipped them back inside her. He watched as she rocked her hips against his palm. He smiled as she slipped a third finger inside her and began moving them in and out. He looked at her and licked his lips at the image of her bottom lip quivering and her breast bouncing with each gentle movement. He returned his mouth to her pussy and continued to lick up her slit until he came to her clit. He flit it with his tongue as he sucked on it and her body spasmed in response. “Oh god, Tom…Nononono,” she cried out but she grabbed a lock of his head and pushed him harder against her.

She clutched the bedspread with one hand; the other tightened its grip on the back of Tom’s head. He winced at the pain but didn’t lighten his assault on her pussy. He continued lapping at her as his fingers pumped in and out of her in a fury. He made a “come hither” motion inside her with his fingers. “Ah! Thom-aah!” Her body trembled as she came. Her grip on the covers and Tom’s hair loosened as her body went lax on the bed.

Tom removed his fingers from inside her. He slowly spread his three fingers apart and smiled at the string of come that connected between them. He brought the fingers to his mouth and sucked them. “Mmm…,” he said once he removed them, “Simply…divine.” She giggled at the compliment before gasping in surprise as he dipped his tongue inside her and licked up the rest of her come.

He wiped his mouth as he rose. He pulled his sweats of and kicked them from him. He looked down at her and smiled as he lazily stroked himself. She looked so beautiful in her post-orgasmic high. He wanted to pull her to the edge of the bed, slam into her, and fuck her hard until they both came but he was saving his orgasm for later. “You ready? Or do you need a moment,” he asked her.

She sat on her elbows and looked over at the toys on the bed. “Nah. I’m ready but we really should have warmed you up first.” She grabbed a glass anal plug. “If you want to, I can lube this up, then maybe suck you off for a few minutes, and then we can try the strap on. Cool?” He nodded in agreement. She scooted over on the bed and patted the spot next to her. He climbed on the bed and she immediately wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. “Okay. Now bend over.” He turned over onto his knees and lifted his ass in the air. She slapped him on the ass causing him to yelp in response.

“Hey!”

“Sorry,” she said with a giggle, “but I just _had_ to. You see a nice ass you gotta slap it, ya know?” She grabbed a bottle of lube, opened it and rubbed it on the plug. She squeezed some on her index and middle fingers before applying it to his asshole. She slowly slipped one finger inside. “How’s that feel?”

“Hmm…good. You can add another.”

“No,” she said as she started moving her finger in and out. “Not yet.” She continued using one finger on him for another minute before easing her middle finger into him. She stopped when she heard him wince. “Did I put it in too early?”

“No, no it’s fine. It’s just…I really wish you’d clip your nails, Cas.”

“Oh shit! I’m sorry! Do you want me to stop?”

“No! Just…keep moving them slow.”

“Okay. I’ll remember to clip them for next time,” she as she began to slowly move her hand again. “What size strap on did you get,” she asked after a few more moments passed.

“Hmm…six, I think. What do think? Too big or small?”

“We’ll have to see. With my ex, a five was too big for her anally but vaginally she preferred a six or seven. So…who knows? You might surprise yourself and can take a _deep_ dick.” They both laughed at the comment. She continued pumping her fingers into his asshole and after a while felt him relax. “I think you’re ready for the plug now. Tell me when it hurts and I’ll stop. Okay, babe?”

“Okay.”

She added more lubricant to Tom and the toy before slowly easing it into him. “Everything’s good,” she asked once the toy was securely in place.

“Yeah.”

“Good. Now roll over.”

He rolled onto his back and immediately resumed stroking himself. She fell between his legs and he brought the tip of his cock to her lips and tapped it against them. She poked her tongue out and licked it before kissing it. Tom brushed the few curls that had fallen in front of her face away and watched as she continued to kiss down his shaft. When her tongue reached his balls she licked on them before wrapping her lips around them and sucking on them. “Aah! Fuck, Cas,” he called out at the feeling of her tongue dancing across them while she continued to suck him. He grabbed his cock again and stroked himself as he watched her. She moved her mouth to the tip of his cock. She continued to knead his balls with one hand has as she bobbed and sucked on his length while he stroked himself. She suddenly released him from her mouth. “Why…why’d you stop?”

“I don’t want you to come yet.” She grabbed the strap on from the bed. She lean over and kissed him again. “I’ll go slow. I promise,” she reassured.

“I trust you,” he replied before turning back on his knees and tilting his ass up in the air.

Cassie opened the harness on the strap on, stepped inside, and securely adjusting it. She grabbed a condom out of the side drawer, unwrapped it, and rolled it onto the toy. She gently removed the plug from Tom’s ass and set it on the table. She grabbed the bottle of lube and applied it to him. “Just to be safe,” she told him. She grabbed him by the hips with one hand and used the other to position the head of the toy to his entrance. “Ready?”

“Yes.” She entered him slowly before pulling back out. She moved back in an inch and then pulled out some. “Aah…faster, Cas.”

“Not yet.” She rocked her hips and continued to stroke into him slowly until she found a good rhythm. She steadily increased her speed. “How’s that feel?”

“Mmm…So good, Cas.” He began to stroke and twist his hand around his cock. “Faster please.” Without hesitation, Cassie increased the speed of her thrusts. “Yeah…like that.”

“Like that? Or like this?” She placed one leg on the bed, tightened the grip on his hips, and began to slam into him.

“Ah-ah-ah! F-fuck!” He jacked himself frantically now trying to spur on his orgasm.

Cassie reared her hand back and slapped him hard on the ass; the sound of it echoed off the walls. “C’mon, Thomas!” She slapped his ass again. “Come for me, baby!”

Tom could feel his orgasm building. His clenched his teeth and gripped the bed covers with one hand as the other moved in a blur around his cock. “Shit,” he called out as he felt Cassie hit his prostrate. “Oh…fucking…hell!” His cock twitched in his hand and he came hard all over the bed.

“Good boy,” Cas said with a grin as she slowed her rhythm before coming to a full stop. She pulled out of him and loosened the harness. Tom stroked the last of his come onto the bedspread before falling with an exhausted huff on a clean part of the bed. “Shit,” Cassie said as she removed the condom from the toy and tossed it into the nearby trashcan. “There’s so much of it!”

“I know,” Tom panted in reply. “I didn’t think there would be but…goddamn, woman!” She giggled as he pulled her down on top of him. “I didn’t know you had that in you.”

“I told you my stroke game ain’t nothing to fuck with,” she chuckled.

“I surely is not.” He joined in the laugh before trailing his fingertips across her face. “Thank you for indulging in my kink,” he said as he tucked a stray curl behind her ear.

She smiled. “Thank you for trusting me enough to share your kink with me.”

He returned her smile then kissed across one side of her face before landing on her lips. “You know,” he said as he massaged her ass, “it’s still pretty early and we bought so many new toys. What do you say to spending our Sunday trying them all out?”

“Hmmm…” She made a face as she pretended to mull it over. “I say ‘yes’!” She rolled off of him and stood up. She extended a hand to him. “But let’s eat breakfast first. I’m starving!”

“Good idea,” he said as he took her hand and lifted off the bed. “We’re gonna need all our strength.”


	10. The Little Things You Do Together

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I dedicate this one shot to JazzyTee for coming up with this plot.

Tom sat on the edge of the bed and fussed about with his running shoes. He patted the dirt and dust off his right before putting it on and tying it. He started to pat and blow the dirt and dust off his left shoe but paused when he noticed a rip in one side. “Damn,” he mumbled. Cassie tossed and let out an annoyed groan at the disturbance of her sleep. “Oh, I’m sorry, baby. I didn’t realize how loud I was.”

“Ugh…,” she groaned again. “Your voice didn’t wake me it was all that damn movement.”

“Sorry.”

She rolled on her back. “Yeah.” She rose and walked to the bathroom and shut the door behind her.

Tom continued to examine his shoe and shrugged before putting it on and lacing it. When he stood up he noticed a difference in the bottom of the left shoe. “Damn,” he said while he alternated between bounce on his left and right feet. Cassie entered the bedroom and made a curious face at his actions.

“What are you doing?”

“I think,” he said still bouncing, “one of my shoes is a bit run down.”

“You need a new pair.” She yawned and crawled back into bed.

“Yeah.” He placed a kiss on her forehead. “I’ll be back in an hour. I want pancakes for breakfast.”

“Yeah…yeah…”

\-------------

Tom mumbled the lyrics to a song that was currently playing on repeat in his head as he entered his home with large bag in his hand. Cassie looked up from her computer, turned and smiled at him. “Where were you? You missed breakfast.”

“Sorry, dear. I tried to call you but my phone died on me,” he said pulling his cell out of his sweat’s pocket and placing it on a nearby table.

“What’s in the bag,” Cassie asked as she set her computer on the coffee table in front of her.

“These are shoes.”

“Ooh. Did you buy me a pair?”

“Of course.” He sat next to her on the couch and pulled out the top shoe box. “I got a new pair of running shoes for me because these are utter rubbish. And,” he pulled out the second box, “these are for you.”

She smiled as she took the box from him and opened it. Her smile faded into a look of confusion when she saw the shoes inside. She pulled out one of the pink running shoes. “Um…These aren’t the heels I said would make a great Christmas and/or birthday present.”

“I know. They’re running shoes!”

“I can see that. _Why_ are you buying me tennis shoes,” she asked while looking over the pair.

“So we can go jogging together.” She looked back at him, mouth agape and ready to protest but he put his slender finger to her lips and silenced her. “You said you wanted to become physically active again so I just thought what better way than going for a nice morning run with me.”

“Yeah, but I wanted to start slow. I mean, I haven’t ran since high school.”

“Nope. No excuses. You and me. Tomorrow.”

\-------------

Tom gently shook Cassie’s shoulders. “Cas.” She didn’t rouse. He shook her again. “Cassie.” She still didn’t wake. He sighed and put his hands on his hips. “Cas! I know you can hear me. You’re not snoring so I know you’re not sleep.”

“I am sleep,” she mumbled. “And I don’t snore.”

“Okay. Get up. We’re going running today.”

“You said ‘tomorrow.’”

“Today _is_ tomorrow. Now get up.” He grabbed the covers and pulled them off the bed and exposed her nakedness. “Come on, Cas,” he said as he slapped her bare ass. She rubbed her cheek where he hit it but didn’t rise. Tom let out another sigh before walking to the window and pulling back the curtains allowing the bright sun to shine in. “Rise and shine, lazy bones!”

Cassie grumbled at the brightness hitting her face. She put her hands to shield her eyes but the light still managed to seep through. She reached behind her and grabbed a pillow from his side of the bed and covered her face with it.

“Okay.” He sat next to her on the bed and began to drum on her ass.

She peaked from under her pillow. “What are you doing?”

“I’m going to annoy you until you get up.” She rolled her eyes and recovered her face. Tom continued slapping a beat out on her ass. “Oh…,” he began to sing, “Cassie, wake up. Oh…Cassie, my dear! Get out of the bed or…,” he paused as he searched for words, “or I’ll keep hitting your rear!” He saw her body slightly jerk as she chuckled from the song but otherwise she didn’t budge.

“Okay,” he said as he lay on the bed positioning his head next to her behind. “Time to step up my game.” He rubbed her ass and placed tiny kisses on it.

Cassie peaked from under her pillow again. “Now you’re just enjoying yourself.”

“Pretty much,” he replied with a chuckle before planting another kiss on her ass. Cassie shook her head and covered her face again. She was sure that he would run out of ways to annoy her soon and would give up then she could return to her sleep. Except, Tom continued to harass her for the next ten minutes straight. When he grew tired of kissing her, he moved on to playing with her ass. He rubbed the sides of his face on it, squeezed and slapped it, and giggled at every time her cheeks bounced from his movements.

Now he was moving them so that he could childishly make her ass “speak.” “Oh, Thomas,” he said in a high pitched tone. “You’re just so handsome! I love you so much!” He put a hand to his chest in fake humility and said in his normal tone, “That is so sweet! I love you too, Cassie’s Ass.” He grabbed her cheeks and, again in high pitched tone, replied, “Please, oh, please put your giant cock in me now!”

Cassie immediately looked back at him and yelled, “Don’t you dare!”

“Cas,” he said again in his normal tone, “it was begging me. Besides, it might be the only exercise I get in today.”

She threw her pillow at him but he only laughed. “Why won’t you just go for a jog and let me finish sleeping?”

“I’ll only go if you come with me. You know this.” Cassie groaned and buried her face in her pillows. “Nothing? Okay, well…”

He continued making her ass “speak” for another minute until Cassie, finally fed up, flipped onto her back and smothered his face between her thighs. He started licking at her. “I’ll go goddammit! Just—aah—shut—mmm—up…”

\-------------

Tom looked at the time on his watch. It was a little after seven thirty. “Cas! Let’s go!”

“I hear you. I hear you. No need to yell,” she said as she dragged herself into the living room. She was wearing a stripped black and pink sports bra and a pair of bright pink shorts that fit to her extremely well. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Um…Do you have another pair of shorts?”

“Nah. I lounged around in my only other good pair the other day. It’s still in the hamper because _somebody_ ignored their turn on wash day. Why?”

“Well…those shorts are a little…revealing.”

She looked down at her crotch. “Oh shit! Really?” She turned her back to him and tried to pull and adjust her shorts. She turned back around to him. “Better?”

“No,” he chuckled as he continued eyeing the way her shorts hung to her lower lips. He licked his at the sight.

Cassie quickly covered her crotch with her hands. “Stop looking at it!” Tom laughed again as she stormed into the bedroom and reappeared a minute later with one of his zip up hoodies in her hands. She put it on and was immediately engulfed in its size. She tried to zip it up the arms kept falling over her dainty hands.

Tom smiled as he helped her zip it up. “You’re going to cook in this.”

“I know,” she said as he helped her roll the sleeves up to her elbow, “and it’ll be all your fault. How does _that_ make you feel.”

“A little sad. But at least I got in one last snack before you left.” He quickly pecked her lips. “Ooh. Two snacks. Now let’s go.” He bounced to the door and held it open for her. Cassie groaned and sluggishly exited the door.

\-------------

“Come on, slow poke,” Tom called out behind him.

Cassie leaned over and tried to catch her breath. “Give…me…a moment.” Tom walked back to her and handed her a bottle of water. She quickly grabbed it, untwisted the top, and gulped it down. She handed the empty bottle back to him. “Thanks.”

“No problem.” He looked around for a nearby trash receptacle and when he didn’t find one pocketed the water bottle.

“How long have we been running?”

“Ten minutes, Cas.”

“Ugh…”

Tom laughed. “Look just try to make it for another block or two and then we’ll walk back home.”

“Another block? No. Just leave me here to die.”

He laughed again. “You’re actually doing really well. You just need a little motivation.”

“What kind of motivation,” she asked straightening herself. He cupped her face in his hands and kissed her. He bit and sucked on her lip before releasing it. “Goddammit, Tom,” she said as she ran her hands over his. “You know you can’t kiss me like that. It does things to me.”

“I know,” he replied with a mischievous grin. “Every block you finish you get another kiss.”

“You know by the time we get to the third block I’m gonna be wetter than the Pacific, right?”

He rubbed his nose over hers. “Now that’s _my_ motivation.”

They continued jogging—stopping every now and again for Cassie to catch her breath—and, true to his word, at every block he kissed her again. She steadily grew more aroused with each kiss. To make matters worse, Tom would whisper in her ear about all the things he wanted to do to her. “God, Cas, I want to fuck you on this park bench in front of everyone” or “When I get you home I’m going to throw you to the floor and fuck you from behind” or “I’m going to fuck your throat and then come on your beautiful tits.” By the time they made it to the ninth block she could feel her wetness pooling between her thighs. She was so glad that she decided to wear his hoodie because she was sure that it had seeped through her shorts.

Tom cupped her face and leaned down to give her another “motivational” kiss but this time Cassie wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her body closer to his. Their tongues touched and she sought to capture it between her full lips. Their breathing became erratic as she moved a hand across his jaw line; his hands fell from her face to her waist. He wrapped his arms around her tightly before dropping his hands to her ample behind. He reached under her hoodie and squeezed both cheeks causing her to moan against his mouth. They continued passionately kissing in the middle of the sidewalk paying no mind to the pedestrians who passed them. It wasn’t until she felt his growing erection press against her stomach that she finally pulled away from him and broke their kiss.

“I want you now,” she whispered between pants.

Tom looked around for a place that they could sneak off to but there weren’t any viable options. Any place he could think of would leave them exposed and, as badly as he wanted to fuck her, he didn’t want to get arrested for public indecency. He spotted a boutique across the street. “Come on,” he said as he grabbed her hand gently led her to the store.

“Hello, I’m Sarah. How can I be of assistance,” the cashier asked with a smile.

“Um…I want to buy something for my girlfriend.” Cassie smiled and waved at the woman who politely returned it. “Do you have a changing room so she can try on a few items?”

“Yes, sir. It’s in the back. Just help yourself.”

“Thank you.” Tom put his hand on the small of Cassie’s back and whispered in her ear, “Just grab something.” She nodded and grabbed the nearest dress off the rack, followed by a shirt off the neighboring one, and a pair of pants from the folded table. They both calmly walked into the changing room.

The second Tom pulled the curtain close behind him, Cassie was on him. She kissed him hungrily on his lips, nearly grating them with her teeth. Meanwhile, his hand fumbled with the zipper of his hoodie she wore. “Goddammit,” he called out before quickly covering his mouth. He peered behind the curtain to see if the cashier had heard him but she was busy talking on the phone. Tom turned his attention back to Cassie and tried the zipper again. “Fuck it,” he said when it still wouldn’t give. “Put your hands up.” She lifted her hands and he pulled the large item over her head. “Turn around and pull your shorts down.” She eagerly obeyed his command. He leaned over and whispered in her ear, “Try to keep it down, love.” She smiled and wiggled her ass against his crotch. He hissed and quickly freed himself from his sweats.

He placed the tip of his cock at her entrance, grabbed her hips, and gently pulled her back onto his length. She bit her lip to hold back a whimper at the feeling of him entering her; he murmured a swear under his breath. He stood still as he pulled her back and forth on his length. Soon Cassie took over and began to rock against his cock. He wanted to move in rhythm with her but he remained still for fear that his hips might slap against her ass and someone might hear them.

He placed his hand on the wall next to hers, leaned over, and whispered, “You feel so fucking good, Cas.”

“I-I—mmm mmm—I know,” she breathlessly replied.

“When we—shit!—when we get home…I’m gonna fuck you properly,” he whispered before pulling up her sports bra and massaging her tit. He pinched it and she let out a yelp. “Be quiet!” Yet she wouldn’t listen.

“Ah! Fuck,” she called out as she began to rock on his dick faster.

He put his large hand over her mouth. “Goddammit, Cas,” he said in her ear. “What did I tell you?” He brought his other hand to her clit and started rubbing it. He laughed low as her body trembled at his touch. “Don’t stop moving, Cas. You wanted this, darling.”

She resumed moving back and forth on his cock but she swatted his hand away from her clit. “What’s the matter, Cas? You don’t want to come hard?” She shook her head “no.” He laughed before returning his hand between her legs. She started to swat his hand away again but he grabbed her wrist, pinned it behind her and held it with the hand that had been previously covering her mouth. “Don’t make a fucking sound,” he said as he began rubbing her clit again. Yet again she couldn’t keep quiet. This time her moans whimpered out of her.

“Is everything okay back there,” the cashier called out.

“Yes! Thank you,” Tom yelled in reply. He grabbed the shirt she had pulled earlier off one of the racks and stuffed the end of it in her mouth. He returned his hand to her clit and she trembled again under his touch. He chuckled in her ear as he began to stroke into her. “Come on, baby. You’re almost there.” He moved his hips faster now paying no mind to the slapping sound it produced. They were both so close. He continued to stroke into her as his finger continued circling on her clit. Cassie’s moans were muffled by the fabric in her mouth; he buried his face in her neck and bit down on her flesh to fight screaming out in pleasure.

Cassie’s eyelids fluttered as her eyes rolled back; her knees threatened to buckle beneath her as her body jerked as she came. “Oh, fuck,” Tom whispered in her ear at the feeling of her pulsing around his cock. He stroked into her a few more times before finally reaching his own orgasm. He held her hips firmly in place and pressed his body against her ass as his cock twitch and he filled her with his come. “Shit,” he panted before slowly pulling out of her. His come seeped out of her and trailed down her leg. He pulled her shorts off her ankles and cleaned her up with them before shoving them in his pocket.

“What am I gonna wear,” she asked after removing the shirt from her mouth.

“We’re in a boutique, Cas. Pick whatever you want.”

She chuckled at her foolishness. “Right. Sex so good make a girl forget where she is,” she joked before tugging his chin and placing an appreciative kiss on his lips. She looked at the items she brought in the changing room. “This dress is kinda cute.” She looked at the size tag. “Babe, go get me one of these in my size.” Tom nodded and adjusted his clothes before pulling the curtain back partially and stepping out into the store. Cassie studied the shirt that was in her mouth. “Oh, this is cute, too!” She looked at the size. “Ooh and in my size.” She looked at the style and size of the pants. The size was too big but the design was nice. She poked her head out of the curtain. “Tom! Get me these pants, too, but in blue or gray!”

Tom rolled his eyes and shook his head before digging for the colors she wanted from the table. He found a gray and red pair and brought the clothing back to the changing room. “They didn’t have blue but I know you like red so…”

“You’re so sweet,” she smiled and stepped into the red pants. “Do you think they’ll let me wear these out of the store?”

“Well, I don’t think they have much of a choice seeing as your other clothes are…soiled.”

“Only in the best possible way.” She zipped up her pants and grabbed Tom’s hoodie off the floor. “Ya know what? I hate to admit it but you were right. Jogging _is_ a good way to stay active. I can’t wait to go with you tomorrow.”

Tom chuckled. “Next time we’ll bring you an extra set of clothes.”


	11. Birthday Cake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There is absolutely no mention of cake in this fic and yet I STILL named it that. *sings* Cake, cake, cake, cake...

Cassie jumped on the bed like a child and gleefully yelled, “Get up! Get up! Get up, birthday boy!”

Tom mumbled and groaned at her actions. “Cassie, please… No more bouncing.”

“Sorry,” she breathlessly said as she plopped down beside him on the bed. She sat on his back and shook his shoulders. “C’mon, wake up!”

“Five more minutes,” he mumbled into his pillow.

She rested her head on his shoulder. “It’s your birthday! You’re supposed to be the one waking _me_ up with your excitement. Not the other way around.”

He turned his head to the side. “Sorry, babe. You know I was out late last night.”

“We both were and yet I’m up,” she pouted.

“I can’t really see you but I’m going to bet that you’re pouting, aren’t you?”

She rolled off him and lay by his side. “No,” she replied still pouting only this time she added her best puppy eyes.

“Oh, god, no. Not that face.”

“I’ll stop making it when you get up.”

“Okay! You win,” he groaned. He playfully covered her face with his hand causing her to giggle. “Just…no more of that face.”

She removed his hand and kissed his fingertips. “Hurry up and shower and shit so we can have breakfast and then I can give you your gift.”

“Or we could just stay in bed and fuck the day away,” he said as he moved his fingers across her lips and down her neck.

“Nope,” she said with a laugh. “You’ll have plenty of time for that after dinner tonight. Now come one,” she patted him twice on the ass, “get up.” She bounced off the bed and headed toward the door. “And don’t fall back asleep once I’m gone!”

\---------

Cassie watched with a broad smile on her face as Tom dipped the last of his waffles in his syrup and shoved it into his mouth. “Mmm, Cas,” he said after he swallowed, “do you have any more of these?”

“Nope. That was the last batch. Besides you can’t possibly _still_ be hungry after all that food! Man… I haven’t seen something get destroyed like that since… the _Transformer_ movies.”

Tom laughed. “Well, breakfast was delicious. You really outdid yourself.”

“Thank you.” She planted a soft kiss on his lips and tasted a hint of syrup. “Mmm…maple,” she said before kissing him again.

“You know what else that syrup would taste good on?”

“Me,” she answered with a giggle.

“Yep. Come on. Let’s go ruin the bed sheets.”

“Not yet. First I want to give you your present. Now close your eyes and give me your hands.” She pulled him off the chair with a groan and began walking him through the house. “Are your eyes still closed,” she asked looking back at him.

“Yes. Where are you taking me?”

“You’ll find out. Watch your step.” She led him slowly down the three steps that lead into the garage. “Okay. Now…open your eyes!” When he did he saw her standing next to a black motorcycle with a large red bow on the seat. His mouth fell open in surprise. “Happy birthday!”

“Cas…is this…is this the—”

“Forty-Eight. That’s the model you wanted right?”

“Yeah…yeah,” he said still in amazement at the gift. “Cas, I can’t believe you bought this for me!” He ran his fingers across the bike’s frame as he inspected it. “Oh, she is beautiful!”

Cassie smiled. “So, I take it you like it then?”

“‘Like it?’ I love it!” He removed the bow from the seat and handed it to her before sitting on the bike and gripping the handles.

“Also…there’s this.” She grabbed a large gift bag that was sitting near the wall and handed it to him. He thanked her before taking the bag and peeking inside. He beamed as he pulled out a pair of gloves and a helmet. He put the helmet on.

“How do I look?”

“Ooh. Like a really hot guy on a really hot bike.”

He chuckled and removed his helmet. He grabbed her hand and pulled her to him. “This is the best gift I’ve ever gotten.” He thanked her with a kiss. “You know what I want to do now?”

“Um…let me take it for a test ride?”

“Nice try, Cas. But since it’s my birthday I’ll be nice and let you ride me while I’m riding it.”

She folded her arms across her chest. “Why does everything you say to me gotta sound so dirty? Why can’t you just say you’ll let me ride with you?”

“Because…I want you to ride _me_ , Cas. I’m going to fuck you on this bike.” He quickly pulled her into his lap causing her to let out a giggle.

“Why are you always thinking about sex, you goddamn freak?”

“Takes one to know one,” he said as he kissed her neck.

She tried to push him away but the he ran his tongue across the bottom of her neck before nibbling on it. “Goddamn you, dude,” she breathed out.

He smiled at the comment before slipping his hand into her pajama shorts. He wasn’t surprised to find that she wasn’t wearing panties since she often didn’t wear any to bed. He removed his hand to quickly suck on two fingers then returned them between her legs. He gently rubbed her clit as his mouth moved up her neck to her jaw. Her wetness continued to build with every gentle loop of his fingers across her clit. He dipped a finger inside her and slid it in and out of her. She began to rock her hips against his crotch causing him to groan. His cock began to harden with each move of her hips.

“I want to be inside you,” he panted against her skin.

She hopped off his lap, pulled her shorts off her narrow hips and kicked this away from her. “This…is gonna be interesting,” she said as she tried to find the best angle to fuck him.

“Yeah, I didn’t fully think this through,” he said with a light chuckle. “Um…just… just grab a handle and then sit down on my lap.” She nodded and followed his instructions. She put her hands on his shoulders and lowered herself on his length. He began to slowly thrust up into her. “Are you comfortable?”

“Yeah,” she replied. She securely hugged his neck as she started to move back and forth on his cock. He pecked her lips then grabbed the bottom of her shirt and lifted it to expose her breasts. He clasped an arm around the small of her back and held her to him as he brought his mouth to her right tit. She moaned as he flicked her nipple with his tongue before sucking on it. He freed her nipple from his mouth, kissed across her chest, and repeated the action on her left tit.

“Aah! Thomas…,” she whispered, “fuck me.”

He firmly grasped her thighs and, without hesitation, slammed up into her. “Is this… what you…wanted,” he asked as he rammed into her. She tried to respond but her words came out in broken gasps and moans. He smiled at the sound of it. He moved one hand to her clit and rubbed it knowing it would bring on her orgasm faster.

“Nonono,” she said with a shaky breath.

“Come on,” he coaxed.

“Thomas…no…”

“Come on,” he repeated through clenched teeth. She dug her nails into his shoulders and let out a whimper as her body violently shook as she came. “Good girl,” he said as she rested her head on his shoulder. “Turn around and grab the handlebar.” She rose off him and held onto the left handle as she kicked a leg over one side of the bike.

He grabbed her hips and pulled her back down on his erection. She bit her lip and let out an “mmm” at the feeling of him being inside her again. She immediately began to roll her hips on him. She steadied a hand on the fuel tank in front of her and ground on him faster. She looked over her shoulder at him; his eyes were fixated on her ass. “You like this ass, daddy?”

He chuckled. “You know I do.” He squeezed a cheek before lightly slapping it.

“Mmm,” she said in response to the hit. “You—aah!—you like when I ride you like this?”

“Shit…yes…”

“Nah,” she corrected. “I know what you like.” She leaned forward and started to bounce on his dick causing the meat on her ass to shake with her movements.

“Ah! Fuck, Cas,” Tom called out. She laughed and started grinding on him again. He massaged her ass before slapping another cheek. This time he slapped it hard enough for the sound to echo off the walls of the garage.

She yelped at the hit and started to bounce on him again in response. “Fuck,” she panted out as she continued to alternate between bouncing and grinding on his dick.

“Shit! Cas…I don’t… I don’t think I can hold out…”

“It’s okay, baby.” She exhaled an “ah!” at the feeling of his cock pulsing inside her and filling her with his hot come.

“Fuck,” he breathed out before leaning over and kissing her shoulder blade. “I would like to say that this is the best birthday I’ve ever had!” She smiled as she rose off of him and used her shorts to clean off the come that had trailed down her thigh. “Although,” Tom said rising, “I might have been wrong about the bike.”

Cassie’s smile melted into a frown. “Oh,” she said with hurt in her voice, “you didn’t like it after all?”

“No, it’s great! It’s just not the greatest gift I’ve ever gotten.” He pulled her to him and enclosed her in his arms. “You are.” He gave her three quick pecks on the lips.

She playfully hit his arm. “Boy,” she said with smiled before burying her face in his shoulder. “You’re such a romantic sap.”

“I am and you love it.”


	12. Movie Night

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a short fluff piece I wrote a while back. It's been sitting on my tumblr for a minute b/c I wasn't sure if I was gonna extend it or not (the answer is not--sorry).

Tom hopped off the couch at the sound of the doorbell ringing. He greeted the pizza boy with a polite smile, quickly paid him (generous tip included), and walked back with the dining area with the two boxes of pizza in hand. “Cas! Pizza’s here!” As soon as he took two plates down from the cabinet he heard Cassie’s voice.

"Pizza, pizza, piz-za! Pizza, pizza, piz-za," she gleefully chanted as she bounced into the room. Tom smiled at her playfulness and continued to placed the food on the plates in front of him. Cassie stood behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist. "Did you get veggie?" Tom answered her with a smiled and handed her the plate nearly overflowing with veggie pizza. She grabbed the plate and thanked him with a kiss on the cheek. "Pizza,pizza, piz-za," she chanted again as she made her way to the couch.

Tom sat next to her. “You are really adorable, you know that?”

Cassie smiled and answered, “You say that now but wait until this movie starts playing and I’m saying all the words and singing along to the songs. You might try to smother me with a pillow.”

He laughed. “I rather enjoy your singing, darling.” Cassie smiled again and took a bite of her pizza. Tom took a bite of his as well. “So,” he said once he swallowed, “what are we watching tonight?”

Cassie grabbed the DVD box from the side tabled and showed it to him. "The Wiz!”

"Never seen it."

"Are you serious? Thomas, this movie is life!"

Tom chuckled. “‘Life,’ Cas? I think you might be over-selling it a bit.”

She sucked her teeth. “Says the man who thinks Ace Ventura is the absolute highlight of comedy.”

"It’s hilarious!"

"Dude, there’s a scene where he talks out his ass."

Tom laughed again. “I know! That’s my favorite scene!”

Cassie rolled her eyes as she rose from the couch and popped the DVD into the player. “Prepare to have tour world changed,” she said in a dramatic fashion.

"You’re over-selling it again."

"Oh shut up."

Tom spent the next two hours mostly watching Cassie. She had warned him. She did know nearly every piece of dialogue; and she sang loudly to every song (twice to “You Can’t Win” because she just HAD to remind it back). She even knew some of the dance numbers by heart and he had to suppress a laugh more than once as she bounced along on the couch to the musical numbers. Yet she was wrong about him wanting to smother her out of annoyance. If anything he found it even more adorable. He loved the fact that he put her so at ease that she felt she was able to be herself around him. He loved that he was able to be himself as well.

When he was with her he didn’t have to be the ultra polite, well coiffed, “only-can-talk-about-Shakespeare” stuffed shirt that he felt his professional image made him out to be. He could swear as much and often as he liked, he only wore a suit when necessary, and he could display that other part of him that was often suppressed by his well crafted celebrity persona. He had missed the safety and non-sexual intimacy that a relationship could provide.

"So what do you think?"

Cassie’s voice brought him from his thoughts. “About? Oh! The movie! Well…it was…something, wasn’t it?”

"That’s all you gotta say?"

"It was…nice?"

"You weren’t paying attention at all, were you?" Tom laughed and shook his head no. Cassie hit him with a pillow from the couch which only made him laugh harder. "You asshole!"

"In my defense, I got distracted."

"Oh really? By what?"

Tom grabbed the pillow from her hand and tossed it across the room. He then cupped her face in his hands and gently kissed her forehead and nose before planting a long kiss on her lips. “You,” he said when their lips finally pulled apart leaving Cassie slightly out of breath.

"Goddammit, boy. You just do not play fair. How can I stay mad at you when you kiss me like that?"

"You can’t." He pulled her close and kissed her again. "So do you want to watch another movie or…?"

"Screw the movie," she replied. Tom let out his signature laugh as Cassie grabbed his right wrist and pulled him toward the bedroom.


	13. The Necklace

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is another short fluff piece that has been sitting on my tumblr.

Cassie’s necklace that Daya destroyed right before burned down their apartment belonged to her mother. When she was a five, before her parents left for their anniversary dinner she sat on the bed and watched her mother flit about the bedroom getting ready. Her mother turned to her, necklace draped in her hands, and said, “Cassie, do you know why I wear this necklace every year?” Cassie shook her head no. “My grandmother gave it to me right before she passed. I wore it the first time your father ever saw me. He said the only thing that shined brighter than it was me.” She gave an appreciative chuckle at the memory. “Now I wear it every year just so he can smile and tell me, ‘Still brighter than a diamond.’”

Cassie beamed at the story and bounced on the bed. “Can I wear it, mommy? Can I? Can I? Can I?”

"Yes," her mother responded with a chuckle as she gently clasped the necklace around her daughter’s neck. "But only for a little while."

Cassie stood on front of her mother’s full length mirror and gently ran her fingers over the jewelry. She turned back to her mother, “Am I pretty like you, mommy?”

"Even more so," her mother replied before kissing her cheek. "Now, c’mon, let's get it back so I can get ready."

Cassie took a few steps back and possessively clutch the necklace. “No, let me wear it a little more, please?” She gave her mother her best puppy eyes.

Her mother sighed. “All right. You can wear it tonight but don’t lose or break it, okay? I want it in perfect condition when I come home tonight, got it?”

Cassie giggled and returned her focus to the mirror. “Yes, mommy!”

"Diana," Cassie’s father asked as he stuck his head in the bedroom. "Are you ready to go yet?"

Before she could answer Cassie ran up to her father and said, “Look, daddy!”

He lifted his daughter into his arms. “You’re wearing mommy’s necklace!”

"Yep! Do I shine, too, daddy?"

He gently tapped her nose and remarked, “Brighter than a diamond.”


	14. Relax

Cassie tiredly walked into the house. She was so glad to be home after the long weekend she had. She wanted nothing more than to soak in the tub and curl in front of the television and watch binge watch Scandal. Her computer bag hung off one shoulder and her duffel bag scrapped the hardwood as she dragged it across the floor. She shuffled further inside the house. “I’m home,” she called out; her voice echoing off the walls. She gently placed her computer bag on the couch before kicking off her shoes. “Is anybody here?”

“Hey,” Tom chirped as he bounced into the living room. He wrapped his arms around her and lifted her off the ground as he hugged her. “I’ve missed you,” he said into her neck.

“I was only gone two days.”

“Two _very_ long days.” He kissed and nuzzled her neck. “You know I hate sleeping alone.”

“Mmm…No, no, wait, Tom. I’m too tired for that, babe.”

He pulled back from her neck and said, “That’s okay! I’ll do all the work.”

“That doesn’t sound like it’ll be much fun.” She laughed before giving him a quick peck on the lips. “Now grab my bag while I go run a bath to soak in.”

“Well, can I at least join you in the bath,” he asked with a pout.

Cassie sighed and rolled her eyes. “I guess, you big baby.” She pointed her index finger at him. “But no funny stuff, Thomas, or so help you God…”

He lifted his hands up in protest. “I won’t try anything.” He quickly grabbed her duffel bag off the floor and turned to head to the bedroom.

“I mean it, Tom! Zero funny stuff!”

“I heard you the first time,” he replied looking back at her. He continued walking to the bedroom and grinned mischievously to himself.

\--------------

Cassie let out an “aah” as she reclined in the tub. She gently kicked her feet in the water causing it to splash up the sides. She was just about to get relaxed when she heard Tom’s voice. “Is there room for me, darling?” She looked over and saw him leaning against the bathroom door frame. He was already removing his clothes. She smiled as he grabbed onto the band of his sweats and pulled them off his hips followed by his boxers. “You like what you see,” he asked as he stroked himself.

The truth was she very much liked what she saw but she also meant what she told him earlier. She held up an index finger. “Unh-uh! None of that, mister. You can either get in this tub and behave or you can take all of that out of here. I mean it. I’m just trying to relax.”

Tom chuckled to himself before releasing his grip on his cock. “Okay. Okay. I’ll behave.”

“You know I don’t believe you, right,” she said as she rose in the tub and beckoned him to join her.

Tom laughed again at her comment before taking a quick moment to admire the way the water hung to and glistened off her skin. How on God’s green earth did she expect him to behave when she looked like _that_? He dipped his toe in the water to test the temperature—it was hot but not scolding—before finally sitting down. Cassie was about to sit back down when Tom said, “Wait!”

“What?”

“Do it slowly.”

“Are you serious?”

“Cas, please, let me have this.” She shook her head and rolled her eyes before planting one hand on the wall and steadying herself with the other on the edge of the tub. She looked back at him as she slowly sat back into the tub. Tom smiled and ran his hands up her frame as she did so. “Thank you,” he said as he kissed her right shoulder.

“You’re welcome, you freak.” She leaned back against him and Tom wrapped her in his arms. “Hmm…,” she said after a moment, “I like this.”

“It’s nice, isn’t it?” He kissed along the nap of her neck. “We haven’t done this in a while.”

“We’re both so busy. We should go on a vacation. Just fuck work and responsibilities and take off.”

“Where would we go,” he asked low in her ear causing her to let out a soft moan and shift slightly against his body.

“Italy.”

“Where in Italy?” He slowly brought a hand up to one of her breasts and traced his thumb across her nipple. He thought she would slap his hand away but she didn’t.

Instead she bit her lip in response to his touch before saying, “Hmm…Tuscany, maybe.”

“What would we do there?” He kissed across the back of her neck and shoulder as he fondled her tit.

“Mmm…We’d drink wine and stuff ourselves.” She reached behind her and began stroking his cock.

“Aah! What else would we do?” He resumed kissing her as his other hand moved down between her legs. He ran his fingers across her pussy, teasing her; then he slipped a finger between her folds. He continued rubbing between her lower lips before finally bringing his fingers to her clit and tracing tiny circles on it. She whimpered as he touched her but didn’t stop stroking him. “Answer me, Cas,” he huffed in her ear. His low timbre nearly drove her wild. “What else would we do?”

“We-we’d make love a-all day and night.”

“How? What would we do to each other? Tell me.”

“You’d touch me.”

“Like I am now?” She nodded in reply. “Or like this?” He lowered his hand and inserted a finger. He moved it slowly in and out of her before adding another. “Do you know what I would do next?” She shook her head “no” as she began to rock her hips against his fingers. “I’d taste you, love. First, on my fingers; then, with my tongue.” He moved his fingers faster now. “I’d lick you until you’re a writhing mess beneath me. And I won’t stop, darling, not until you come again and again and again.” He licked up her neck and flicked her earlobe with his tongue before nibbling on it. “Would you like that?” She nodded her head and continued grinding against his palm. Her grip on his cock tightened causing him to grit his teeth.

“Fuck,” he called out as he rocked against her palm. The water in the tub splashed against the sides before some of it spilled over onto the floor. “Then,” he continued; his breath hot in her ear, “I’d flip you over and take you from behind.” He pressed his thumb to her clit causing her to tense up. She held onto the side of the tub and her body trembled as he fucked her with his fingers. “I’d fuck you fast and hard until you’re stuttering my name. And right before you came,” he removed his fingers from inside of her.

“No, don’t stop,” she whimpered. She reached between her legs to finish herself but Tom grabbed her wrists and held them.

“No. Beg for it, Cassie. Beg for me to let you come.”

“Please, Tom,” she whined. “Let me come.” He smiled deviously before immediately reinserting his fingers inside her. He quickly pumped them in and out of her while rubbing her clit with his other hand. It didn’t take long for her to reach her climax. She threw her head back and rested it on his shoulder as she shook and came around his fingers.

“Good girl,” Tom smirked as he kissed her face; his fingers were still inside her but they moved leisurely now. The fingers on his other hand grazed across her still tender clit and she jerked in response before swatting it away.

“Damn you, dude. I thought you said you were gonna behave.”

“Yeah,” he said while his fingers still worked in and out of her, “and you also said that you didn’t believe me.”

“Hmm, I wonder why,” she sarcastically responded. He laughed and adjusted his body causing his erection to poke against her. She reached down and started stroking it again. “Oh, shit, I forgot all about you, baby.”

“It’s okay.” He brought his hand back to her breasts and massaged it. “You rest now and we’ll deal with that later.”

She closed her eyes and wiggled her hips against his hand. “H-how can I rest when you keep touching me like that?”

“I’m helping you out. Think of it as…a relaxation technique.”

“Goddamit,” she breathlessly remarked as she continued to ride his fingers, “will you ever be shit?”


	15. Fast Lane

Tom called Cassie’s name from the garage but got no answer. He quickly bounced up the couple of steps that lead to their home and called her name again. Still no answer. He called her name a third time as he marched up the stairs and headed to their bedroom. He opened the door and found her lying on her stomach on the bed; her headphones in her ears. Her head was bobbing along to whatever song was playing as she scrolled down her tumblr dash. Suddenly she burst out singing off key to Nicki Minaj’s “Go Hard.” “If you could you would get rid of me. Fuck you gon do when a bitch try to go hard?” Tom shook his head and chuckled at her before slapping her hard on her round ass. “Ow!” Cassie removed her headphones and turned on her back. “Asshole!”

“I thought you loved getting your ass slapped,” Tom said with a smirk.

“In certain situations! Jesus…” She rubbed her bottom. “I’m gonna get you back for that. Watch!”

Tom made a faux scared look at her threat earning him a pillow to the face. He chuckled again as he tossed the pillow back on the bed then made a beckoning motion with his hand. “I want to show you something.”

“No,” Cassie said as she narrowed her eyes.

“No. Seriously. I want to show you something. No tricks.” She relented with a sigh and rose from the bed. She followed him down the stairs and to the door that led to the garage. “Okay. Close your eyes. It’s a surprise.” Cassie rolled her eyes before closing them. Tom gently grabbed her hand and led her down the steps and into the garage. “Okay… Open them!”

Cassie let out a surprised gasp when she saw a brand new Jaguar sitting in front of her. “You bought a new car? And a Jaguar! Baby, we said we were gonna talk about big purchases like this.”

“This isn’t a big purchase! Because I’m a spokesman I got a considerable discount.”

“How much is ‘considerable’?”

Tom hunched his shoulders and lightly tilted his head to the side as he said, “Free.”

“They gave you a free fucking car?”

“Yeah. They want me to drive it to the BAFTAs on Sunday. It’ll be good advertising.”

“Goddamn! It really is good to be bad!” She ran her hands over the smooth dark blue paint of the hood. “Man… she is a beauty!”

Tom pulled his keys out of his pocket. “You want to go for a ride?”

Cassie gasped and excitedly nodded her head. “Yes! Wait… Can I… drive it first?”

The smile on Tom’s face fell. “No,” he sternly replied. He hit the unlock button on the keyless entry pad and opened the door. “Get in.”

“No, please, please, _please_ let me drive! I won’t go fast!”

“No, Cas! You said the exact same thing with my motorcycle and look what happened!” He was still mad at himself for letting her drive it. She begged him for months before he finally gave in. He gave her a couple of quick lessons about how to steer it. He made sure to repeat: “Slow down on the curves. Otherwise you’ll go flying.” Yet Cassie, being the stubborn little thing she was, didn’t listen. He watched from a distance with an old friend as she turned the curve on an empty road hard. The bike skidded and both it and she flew out of his vision. His heart felt as if it dropped into the pit of his stomach. He instinctively began running down the road calling her name. Tears stung his eyes before falling down his cheeks.

When he arrived to the spot where she lost control he found only her bike. “Cassie,” he whispered between breaths as he searched the environment looking for her body but found nothing except the tall grass. He fisted clumps of his hair as the fear that the worst might have happened rose within him. His friend cupped his hands around his mouth and called her name louder; the sound of it scared a few birds. Amongst the rapid flapping of wings they both heard a tender “ow.” The men exhaled sighs of relief as they followed Cassie’s voice. She was alive (thankfully) but hurt. She had broken her right wrist but otherwise was fine. Tom gleefully greeted her with kisses across her face before helping her up and carrying her back to the road. Tom’s friend swiftly ran to get his truck and Tom, immensely glad that he hadn’t lost the love of his life, repeated thanked God in whispers.

However, when they returned from the hospital later that evening his relief had turned into anger. He scolded her in the back of the cab. “I told you to watch your speed on the curves! But you’re so goddamn stubborn! You never listen!”

“Please, baby,” Cassie begged now. “Just around the city. I can’t break top speed in London.” She gave him her signature pout/puppy dog eyes combo but Tom covered her face with his large hand.

“No! That face is not going to work. I mean it, Cas. You can either hop in the passenger’s and take a quick ride with me or wait here until I get back.” She groaned aloud and dragged herself to the passenger side. “Stop behaving like a brat, Cas.”

“Stop behaving like my daddy, Tom.” Tom rolled his eyes at her comment before pulling out of the garage. The late afternoon traffic was heavy—which was not surprising in a large city like London—but not unbearable as it would have been if it was evening. They drove in silence for a while before Cassie let out another groan and said, “Since you won’t let me drive could you at least go a little bit faster.”

“How, Cas? We’re in the city. Anything over the limit will get me ticketed.”

“Then head for the country. They don’t have cops there!”

“Of course they do,” he laughed. “What makes you think they don’t have policemen in the country?”

She nonchalantly hunched her shoulders. “I’ve never seen one.”

“Well, trust me, they exist. And I’m not going on an excursion so you can live fast and furious.”

She leaned over and wrapped her hands around his upper arm. “Please… I’ll suck your dick.”

“You already did that,” he replied with a smile. She had woke him up with the most sublime blow job as thanks for the amazing multiple orgasms he gave her the night before.

“Then I’ll suck your dick in the country!” Tom laughed again. “I just wanna see the top speed.” Tom shook his head. He absolutely refused to budge. “Look, just make it easier on yourself, dude. Because I’m telling you right now I ain’t gonna stop begging until you really break this baby in. So let’s just cut the shit and let’s hit the back roads of the country folk.”

Tom exhaled an annoyed sigh. “If I do this, Cas, will you promise to leave me alone.” She nodded. “And you have to also promise to never ask to drive this car again.” Her mouth dropped open in surprise but he put up his long index and continued, “I mean it. Not even to pop into town for bit. And you can’t try to sway me with that puppy dog face of yours either! Promise, Cas.”

She sucked her teeth and folded her arms across her chest. “Promise.”

——-

A little over an hour later and the two were back at that same road she had her motorcycle accident. “Buckle up,” Tom told her as he revved the engine.

“I’m already buckled,” Cassie replied as she gripped the door handle tightly.

“Okay.” He looked around for any oncoming traffic and—more importantly—any police. Finding the road clear, he hit the gas and took off. The speedometer steadily moved from twenty to thirty then forty and fifty. “You all right?”

“Yeah! Can she hit two hundred?”

“I think top speed is one-eighty. Maybe one-sixty. We’re not going to push that, Cas.”

“Then get me as high as you can.” The wind whipped by causing her curls to dance about her face in a flurry as he hit sixty then seventy miles per hour. She brushed the curls away. “Whoo! Faster, baby, faster!”

“I’m going, darling!” He felt her clutch his upper arm as they hit eighty. He wasn’t certain but he swore he heard her let out a moan when their speed increased to ninety.

“Yeah,” Cassie screamed out. She really wished he had gotten the convertible. She had the urge to stick her hands up in the air as if she were riding a roller coaster.

“Listen to that engine, baby,” Tom roared as their speed hit one hundred then one-ten.

“I hear it. Oh god! I hear it!” Cassie watched as the needle on the speedometer inched closer to one-twenty. A broad smile grew on her face. The needle wobbled then went back down to one-ten. Her smile started to fall as she watched the numbers get lower and lower. “Wait, wait, wait! Why are you stopping?” Tom didn’t reply he only pointed at the rear view mirror. Cassie looked up and saw that police car was following behind them flashing their lights. She had gotten so caught up in the thrill of the ride that she hadn’t noticed it.

Tom continued to slow down until he finally came to a complete stop on the side of the road. Cassie mouthed out a “sorry” as he leaned over and pulled his wallet out of his back pocket. The apology—if it could even be considered on—earned her an annoyed glare from Tom. She sat silently as Tom spoke to the officer. “Hello, sir. I-I just wanted to apologize for my driving. You see this is a new car and—”

“Do you realize how fast you were going,” the officer gruffly cut him off.

“Yes. I—”

“License and insurance.” Tom sighed and handed the officer his license before reaching in front of Cassie and pulling open the glove compartment and removing his insurance papers. He handed them to the officer as well. “You’re lucky Mr…. Huddleston, that I’m in such a good mood today or I would have to seize your vehicle.” Tom’s mouth dropped open and he gave Cassie another angry look before returning his attention to the officer. “But… I’ll just give you a penalty since I’m in such a good mood.”

“Thank you,” Tom said through trying to hide his agitation in his voice.

The officer returned Tom’s information to him then handed him the speeding ticket. The officer looked at Cassie and threw her a flirtatious grin. “I’m sure you want to impress your pretty passenger there, Mr. Huddleston, but safety comes first.”

“You’re right, sir,” Tom replied. The agitation in his voice was becoming increasingly harder to mask. He wanted the officer to step as far away from the vehicle—and Cassie—as possible but he, of course couldn’t say that. “Thank you.” The officer gave one last once over Cassie before nodding at both of them and returning to his vehicle.

“He was gross,” Cassie said once the officer was fully out of earshot. “I’m sor—”

Tom cut her off with his index. “Don’t say another word.”

——-

They drove in silence all the way back to their townhouse. Cassie genuinely felt bad for getting Tom fined yet she also couldn’t deny that the thrill of speeding earlier excited her. It started with the growl of that engine. A shiver had run up her spine. And with each glance at the increasing speed on the speedometer, her excitement continued to build until she was sitting damn near soaked in the passenger’s seat. If the police hadn’t stopped them she would have begged him to pull over and fuck her.

To make matters worse the way he clenched his jaw in silent anger as his blue eyes fixed on the road added to her arousal. As did the way he slapped her hand away from the radio dial when she tried to turn it on earlier. Damn him! It was his fault for turning her out. Before him, she would have been more worried about the imminent fight she was in for. Now all she could think about was him angrily fucking her.

The moment he pulled into their garage, she pounced. “I’m so sorry, daddy,” she purred as she ran her hands up his arms.

He shook her hand away. “Stop it.” He opened the door and walked into the house. She followed suit. He stormed up the stairs and into their bedroom; again she followed close behind him.

“I know you’re mad at me, daddy, but—”

“Don’t call me that, Cas. I mean it. I’m very angry with you.”

“I know, baby,” she cooed the words. “You have every right to be. I’ve been a very bad girl.”

Tom rolled his eyes. “I’m not playing that game now. Cassie, they just gave me the car this afternoon and I already got points on my license! You realize this doesn’t look good for me, right?”

“Yes,” she replied as she walked closer to him. She unbuttoned her shorts then unzipped them. She kicked off her flats then removed her shorts and panties off her narrow hips.

Tom’s eyes fell to her bare crotch. He quickly looked away. No. He wasn’t going to fall for this. She was surely trying to seduce him to take his mind off the earlier events. “I told you, Cas, I’m upset with you.”

“No, you said you were angry. Use it, baby.”

“Goddammit, Cas, I—” She silenced him with a kiss. She grabbed his hand and moved it between her thighs. “Goddamn,” he whispered against her lips as his fingers slipped between her wet folds. “Baby, you’re soaked.”

“Mmm, daddy, I know.”

“What’s got you so hot?” He kissed her again before she could answer. He began slowly moving his fingers in and out of her. His mouth moved from hers to her cheek, jaw, and finally her neck. He licked at her skin causing her to moan out. He began to finger her faster now.

She gasped in his ear at the feeling of his long digits moving inside of her. “Fuck me,” she whispered. He couldn’t resist her. Even when he knew he _should_. He removed his fingers from inside her and tossed her on the bed. “Take off the rest of your clothes,” he demanded as he stepped out of his shoes and began to unbuckle his belt. She quickly removed her shirt and bra. He crawled on top of her and kissed her again. His mouth moved again to her neck then to her chest. He was about to take a nipple in his mouth when she gently scolded, “No, Thomas. Fuck me.” She brought his hand to her mouth and began to suck her pussy juices off his index finger. “Mmm…” She moved his hand to her throat. “I want you to choke me and fuck me.”

Tom couldn’t help but to smile at his contradictory lover. Sometimes she wrap her arms around him and say, “Make love to me.” He would comply by delivering long, steady strokes into her. He would grip her thighs firmly but not roughly. He would kiss her softly and lick the salty sweat off her skin. She would thank him by crossing her legs around his waist and answer each stroke with an appreciative pant or moan.

But other times, like now, she would want him to simply fuck her. Hard and fast. She’d want to be tied down and spanked or coated in his come. She wanted her face smothered in the pillow as he drove into her over and over. She’d begged to be punished and he would gladly give her whatever she asked for so long as she rewarded him with that sweet orgasmic sound.

Now she laid before him biting her lip in anticipation. If her luscious lips hadn’t pleaded for him to ravish her then the look in her eyes did. He removed his hand from her throat so he could unzip and remove his pants and underwear. He grabbed her legs and pulled her back to the edge of the bed. He put a hand behind one of her knees and used the other to guide himself towards her entrance. He watched her mouth open as he slowly filled her.

He stroked out of her slowly then back in at the same speed. He repeated this action until she murmured, “Fuck me, Thomas. Please!” He smugly smiled. He wanted to hear her beg again.

He grabbed the back of her other knee and pushed them both forward. He immediate began to increase his speed. He slammed into her repeatedly. “Is this…what…you…wanted?”

“Yes! Yes! Oh god!”

Her exclamations spurred him on. He leaned over further so now her legs were pinned back to the bed. (Thank god for yoga increasing her flexibility!) He watched her tits bounce with each stroke he delivered. He smiled at them and licked his lips. He regretted not getting a chance to suck on them earlier. “You like…when I…fuck you…like…this?” She clutched the bedspread and nodded her head in response. “I asked…you a question…Cassie!”

“Ye-yes…”

“Louder!”

“Yes!”

“Yes what? Say it! So the neighbors hear!”

“I like when you fuck me like this!”

He laughed as he moved a hand to her bouncing tit and squeezed it. “You were bad today, Cas, weren’t you?” She nodded again. “Answer me,” he yelled.

“Yes,” she replied between gasping breaths. “I was—aah!—very bad today!”

“For your punishment you—shit you feel so good!—you can’t come.” Cassie let out a defiant laugh before moving her hand to her clit. Tom growled in anger and slapped her hand away. She responded by laughing again and repeating her action. Tom grabbed her wrists and tried to pin them over her head but she wouldn’t be subdued so easily. She continued laughing as she fought him. She was purposely trying to rile him up further.

They wrestled for a few minutes more before Tom was finally able to pin both of her arms down—one above her head; the other to her side. He took a moment to take her in. She laid under him; her chest rising and falling as she panted. Her dark eyes danced over his features (they landed more than once on his lips). Her mouth held a mischievous smile. He wanted to bite and suck on those full lips before he fucked that smile right off her pretty face. She stuck her tongue out and licked his lips before catching his bottom one between her teeth. He groaned in part pain, part pleasure as she bit down harder before releasing it with a giggle.

He quickly moved his right hand from her wrist he had pinned to her side and wrapped it around her throat. “Choke me, daddy,” she begged and he obliged her. His grip on her throat tightened as he began to fuck her again. He ensnared her bottom lip between his as he pounded into her. “Harder,” she croaked out. “Squeeze harder.”

“No,” he told her between breaths. She had a tendency to ignore her limits. He loved her and he especially loved playing these games but he never really wanted to hurt her. So he often had to always figure out where her limits were. Sometimes, for example, she could take an extra spanking; others she couldn’t. Right now he knew that further tightening his grip would not be the wisest decision.

Besides he knew that she was close. She could never last long when he fucked her like this. He continued to stroke into her hard and fast. She panted out encouragements in raspy breaths. “Yes! Fuck…” Her orgasm finally hit her hard. Her mouth hung open and her eyes rolled into the back of her head. He cursed as her pussy pulsed around his cock as she came. Her orgasm brought his and he grit his teeth as she came inside her.

Cassie massaged her neck and coughed twice as she inhaled. She turned to Tom who had fell next to her on the bed in exhaustion. “I thought you said I couldn’t come,” she said with a sly smile; her voice was still hoarse.

“Yeah…well…” He brushed a stray curl from her face and kissed her forehead.

“Are you still mad at me,” she asked as she rested her head on his chest.

“Yes,” he admitted, “but I’ll get over it. Especially since _you’re_ going to pay the fine.”

——-

Sunday came and so far Cassie had kept her promise. She didn’t ask to drive Tom’s new Jaguar again even though she was itching to get behind the wheel. She sat in it once, however. Early in the morning when he went out jogging. She listened to the radio as she fondled the smooth leather interior and enjoyed the “new car smell” that it still retained. Now she eagerly sat in the passenger side again watching Tom drive to the Royal Opera House. “Damn, baby, you look so good driving this thing.”

“Ehehehe. Do I look debonair, darling?”

“You look good enough to eat actually.” He rested her hand on his thigh.

Tom looked down at her hand then back at her. “What is it with you and this car?”

“I don’t know. I just turns me on. Don’t front. I know you thought about me sucking you off in this thing!”

“I might or might not have gotten off to the thought.”

“Well…,” she walked her fingers further up his thigh before landing on his crotch and massaging his cock through his pants, “what do you say I make your dreams a reality, babe?”

He licked his lips at the thought of her red painted lips being wrapped around his cock. “Baby, I really, _really_ want you to but…I-I already got points on my license. I don’t need any more. Besides we’re not too far away from the awards.”

“Or,” she carefully pulled his zipper down, “you can pull over and let me get you off real quick.” She pulled his cock out and kissed the tip.

“Shit… Okay, okay, okay… Just… give me a moment.” But Cassie wouldn’t grant him the couple of minutes it would take to navigate through the traffic and pull over. She rolled her tongue around the tip of his cock before trailing her it down his shaft. She spat on it a couple of times before wrapping her mouth around his length.

“Fuck,” Tom called out as he tried to steer the car through the crowd of cars. They pulled up to a red light and he took the moment to enjoy the way she bobbed and sucked on his cock. He closed his eyes and leaned he head back on the headrest.

The driver next to him bobbed his head to the catchy pop number playing on the radio as he waited for the light to turn. He peered out to his side and saw Tom’s car. His mouth fell open in happy surprise as he watched Tom lick his lips and exhale inaudible moans as a flurry of reddish brown curls rhythmically moved up and down on his lap. The man laughed to himself. He honked the horn in hopes of getting Tom’s attention so that he could congratulate him but it only annoyed the driver in front of him who stuck his head out of the window and cursed him in a language the man didn’t understand.

Tom heard the honking and briefly turned his attention to the fighting drivers. The commotion was almost enough to ruin the amazing head Cassie was giving him. Almost. He rolled up his window to block off the excess noises and focused just on the slurping sounds of Cassie working on his cock. Cassie wiggled in her seat; she wanted to finger her clit but there was no way in hell she was going to fool with fabric of her dress or with the Spanx she was wearing underneath it.

The muffled sounds of excessive honking caught Tom’s attention. He looked back at the light to see that it had turned. Tom mentally apologized before moving forward. He eagerly searched for an empty spot that he could pull over and park but, of course, found none. It didn’t matter anyway. With the way Cassie was sucking his cock he wasn’t sure if he could hold out any longer anyway. “Fuck, Cassie! I’m about to come!” She ignored the warning and continued bobbing on his length. Tom gripped the steering wheel tighter and prayed that he didn’t accidentally hit the accelerator or swerve into oncoming traffic. “Oh shit…oh shit…” He swore again as his cock twitched and he came into Cassie’s mouth.

She tried to swallow all of his come so that it didn’t get on his suit or the pretty blue dress she was wearing. She sat up and quickly readjusted his cock back into his pants and carefully zipped him up. She pulled down the visor and flipped open the mirror that was inserted in it. She wiped the excess come off the corner of her mouth with her hand before digging into her purse and pulling out a tube of red lipstick. “Fuck,” Tom exhaled with a smile as his eyes darted from the road to her and back to the road again. “You really are something, you know that?”

She smiled at the compliment as she reapplied her lipstick. “Baby,” she said before rubbing her lips together to blend the lipstick, “just wait ‘til you see what I got planned for you when we get back home.”


	16. Power Play (Him)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part one of two.

Tom reclined on the couch rereading over the script in his hand. He closed his eyes and mouthed a few lines in order to test his memory. He reopened them and cursed to himself once he realized he had forgotten a major piece of the dialogue. He was in the middle of repeating this process when he heard Cassie call his name from upstairs. “Tom?”

“Yeah?”

“Tom,” she called again; her voice sounding closer.

“Yes, Cas,” he asked without pulling his eyes from his script.

He heard her feet bounce down the stairs; then he heard them smack across the hardwood floor. “Tom, you busy?”

He made an annoyed face then shook his thick script at her. “Kind of.”

“Oh! Sorry. I forgot you were studying. I’ll come back later. It wasn’t important.”

“No, it had to have been for you to call me like that. What is it?”

“Nothing. It can wait. You’re busy.”

“I _was_. But you’ve already broken my concentration so what is it? What do you need?”

“I…uh…I just wanted you to answer a couple of questions for an online quiz I’m taking,” she said while jiggling her cell in her hand. Tom only glared at her in response. “I told you it could wait. Please don’t be mad.” She gave him her signature puppy dog eyes that he could never resist.

“I’m not mad,” he relented with a sigh. “I needed a break anyway.” He tossed the script onto the coffee table. “So what’s this quiz about?”

“Okay,” she chirped before plopping down next to his long legs on the couch. “So yesterday Desiree sent me this link to a personality quiz. She was like, ‘Ooh, girl, you gotta take this it’s spooky accurate’ and shit. I mean, it was close but it wasn’t all that like she was making it out to be.”

Tom slapped his palm against his forehead and mumbled, “Oh god, Cas, please get to the point.”

“Sorry. So… the site she linked me to also had a shitload of other quizzes and I decided to take one… or four.”

“Four,” he repeated with a chuckle. “Shouldn’t you be working on your screenplay?”

Cassie dismissed the comment by sucking her teeth and playfully rolling her eyes. “Anyway… The quiz I’m working on now is called ‘Are You Sexually Satisfied?’ and—”

“Baby, why are you taking all these useless quizzes? You know damn well I keep you satisfied,” he said with a pleased smirk.

Cassie sucked her teeth again. “I mean… you do alright.”

“‘Alright?” he repeated with a hand to his chest in fake offense. “Does this sound familiar?” He threw his head back and in a high pitched voice said, “‘Oh, God! Oh, Thomas! Right there! Don’t stop, daddy! Don’t stop!’”

She gasped and smacked him on the legs. “I don’t sound like that!”

“Oh my god, Cas, yes you do! And when you come you look like this,” he rolled his eyes into the back of his head and repeatedly jerked his body.   

She hit his legs again. “You’re such a shit,” she said as she tried to stifle a laugh. “I do not look like that!”

“And you know goddamn well I keep you satisfied. Your best orgasms were with me because I’m a giver, honey. That’s what I do.”

“Oh god,” she said with a roll of her eyes. “Speaking of orgasms. That’s the question I wanted your help with.” She turned her focus back to her phone screen. “Question number three—”

“Three? What happened to the first two?”

“Oh I answered them for us.”

“What? I’m not sure I like you answering for me, darling. Especially since you’re in such deep denial about how great the sex you’re getting is.”

“Fine, you cocky cock. I’ll go back.” She swiped down her screen. “‘On a scale of one to ten’—one obviously being the worst; ten, the best—‘how would you rate your partner’s oral skills?’”

“And what did you give me?”

“I gave you a five.” Cassie rolled her eyes at the broad smile that grew on his face. “Question two: ‘How pleased are you with your partner’s size?’” She looked up from her cell and shook her head at the way he bit his bottom lip and wiggled his brows. “Ugh. Five.”

He chuckled. “Yeah, you are!”

“Anyway! Question three: ‘How would you rate your partner’s ability to make you orgasm?’” She glanced up at him again; that smug look was still on his face. “I’m gonna say… a three.”

“Seriously?”

“What,” she asked trying to hide the coy smile that threatening to break out. “That’s fair.”

“Do I need to do your ‘O’ face for you again?”

“I’m not saying you _never_ made me come I’m just saying…lately you’ve been slacking, my dude.” She quickly hopped off the couch but Tom firmly grasped her wrist before she could move far.

“Why do you do this, my dear?”

“Do what,” she sweetly asked.

Tom was not fooled by her feigned innocence. “You know what I’m talking about. But I’m not going to fall for it this time, Cassie. I’m not going to play your little game.”

She put her hand to her chest and gasped. “I’m not playing a game. I’m just taking a quiz. A quiz that you’re _failing_ by the way.”

She freed herself from his hold, turned, and walked towards the stairs. He watched her ass move with each step she took. He shook his head. _Nope, Tom_ , he told himself _, Don’t do it. Don’t play the game. You have a lot of shit to read through._ He picked up his script and flipped back to the scene he was struggling to memorize. His eyes read over the first line of his dialogue three times but his mind was on Cassie. He wondered what she was doing now. Maybe she was naked on the bed waiting for him to come join her. Or maybe she refused to wait. Maybe she was already pleasing herself with either her fingers or one of their many toys. God he could almost hear her moaning as the glass dildo he bought her last month slid in and out of her wetness. He was getting hard from the thought alone.  

He grabbed his cock through his pants and looked back at the stairs. “Fuck it,” he said as he shot up off the couch and bounced up the stairs two at a time. When he got to their bedroom he was happy to find her sitting cross-legged on the edge of their bed in her underwear and two of his ties in her hand.

“Took you long enough,” she said with a giggle.

“I should have made you wait longer as punishment for lying.”

She rose from the bed and sauntered up to him. “That would have just made it worse for you.” She pressed her body against his, rose on her toes, and placed a soft kiss on the corner of his mouth. “You know you can’t resist me, daddy.”

She was right. He couldn’t. But he also didn’t _want_ to. He secretly loved when she would play these little games. He loved the idea of her sitting around thinking of some mischief to enact upon him. “I wonder…,” he started as he pulled his ties from her hands, “what’s going on in that naughty little head of yours.”

“I propose a dare. I bet…you can’t make me come harder than I’ve ever had before.”

“Seriously, Cas? At least make it a challenge for me.”

“That _is_ a challenge for you. I wasn’t joking when I said you’ve been slacking lately, boy.”

She was right. He _had_ been slacking lately. His schedule was twice as packed as it normally was. He was always off somewhere for months at a time either filming some movie or a commercial or doing some interview for a magazine he never read. They chatted mostly via texts and, if they were lucky to get their schedules to line up, Skype’d every so often. But whenever there was a break in his schedule he would return home to London—to her—and spend every possible moment he could with her. But his breaks were getting fewer and farther between which left poor Cassie alone more often than they both would have liked. Even worse, now that he was home for a few days he was _still_ working. He had to make amends.

“My poor darling,” he kissed her forehead, “let me make it up to you. Lie on the bed.” She turned from him and crawled onto the bed. Tom grabbed his cock again as he watched her round ass peak from under her light purple boy shorts. She unhooked her bra, looked back at him over one shoulder, then removed it and carelessly tossed it aside. She rolled onto her back and sat up on her elbows. She beckoned him to join her with her index finger.

He rolled one end of one of the ties in his right palm as he stalked towards her. “What do you want me to do to you?” He had an inkling of what she wanted but he needed her to lay it out specifically.

“I want you to tie me to the bed and have your way with me.” He smiled broadly at the request. He knew “have your way” meant that he could slap her on the ass or on the pussy—but not _too_ rough—but never on the face; he could come in her or on any part of her he chose; and that choking was allowed only if she requested it. He could fuck her as hard or soft as he wanted and could put her in any position he could imagine. The only question now was: Where to start?

He sat next to her on the bed. “Give me your hands.” She eagerly obeyed. “Do you remember your safe word, darling?” She nodded. “You know I need to hear it, love.”

“Orange.”

“Good girl.” He tied her right hand to the old brass bars of the headboard. He pulled on the tie to see if it was secure enough.

“Tie it tighter.”

“No, I think it’s good.”

“Are you kidding me? I’ll break out of this easily. Look.” She pulled on it and, sure enough, the knots began to loosen.

“Damn,” he said with a lick of his lips before loosening and retying his tie. “Try it now.”

She pulled against the tie with all of her might but it didn’t budge. “Better.” Tom smiled and tied her other wrist to the headboard. Once he made sure she was properly secure he returned to the center of the room.

He took a moment to take her in. He wanted to remember her in her calm beauty before her turned her into a whimpering mess. Her full lips were parted slightly as if she was about to speak yet she remained quiet. Her humble dark brown bosom rose and fell with every breath she took. She wiggled her narrow hips; it was obvious she wanted him to touch her.

He quickly removed his shirt and tossed it on a chair that sat in the corner of the room. Next he unbuttoned and pulled off his pants followed by his boxers. He let them drop to the floor then he brushed his sock covered feet against the carpeted floors so that rolled off. He stroked his hard cock as he stepped out of the pile of clothes surrounding his ankles. His eyes roamed up her body again this time they stopped on the dark spot in the center of her panties. “Already wet, my love, and I haven’t even started yet. You _have_ been neglected.”

He gently pulled her legs apart then hooked his fingers into the sides of the band of her panties. She rose slightly and allowed him to pull them off her hips. She exhaled a soft moan as he ran a finger down her folds. He then used his fingers to separate her lips before licking up her slit. He flicked her clit with his tongue and smiled when she bucked her hips. “Mmm…don’t tease me, baby. If you gonna eat it; eat it.” His plan was to start slow then build but if she wanted hard from the get-go then far be it for him to deny her.

He inserted two fingers into her and quickly pumped them. He smiled devilishly at her whimpering and the wet sounds his actions were producing. “Look at me, Cas,” he commanded. She bit her lip and looked down at him. “Don’t take your eyes off of me.” He returned his mouth to her clit and began sucking it; his fingers still moved in a fury inside her.

“Aah! Shit!” She jerked but her bound hands kept her movements limited. “Oh Christ,” she panted before tossing her head back.

“Look at me, Cassie!” She returned her eyes to him. He wiggled his tongue across her clit then continued moving lower. He buried his face in her pussy. He moaned as he inhaled her scent. The taste of her juices on his tongue was nothing short of divine. He loved feeling her fight against him while still begging for more. Yet the thing he loved the most was feeling her pulse around his fingers as she came from his tongue.

He pulled his fingers out of her and sucked her come off them as he rose. He peered down at her. She was trying to catch her breath; a thin layer of sweat glistened on her naked body. He shook his head and chuckled. She was already near exhaustion and he hadn’t even begun yet. She really should have let him gone slow.

He walked to the closet, opened it, and pulled out a box from the floor. He set it on the bed and opened it. He pulled out a glass dildo, followed by a couple of anal plugs, then a ball gag. “Are you gonna use all those on me,” Cassie asked wide eyed. She felt a shiver of excitement shoot through her.

“Not today, love. I’m looking for something—ah! Here it is.” He pulled out a vibrator. He turned it on to see if it still worked. He briefly smiled at the faint buzzing sound before turning it back off and returning the other toys to the box and placing it on the floor. “When was the last time we played with this?” He pressed his lips against hers and she moaned at the taste of her pussy on them. He moved back between her legs. “Now let me hear it once more. Safeword?”

“Orange.”

“Good girl.”

“I’ll start on low.” He turned the vibrator to its lowest setting and gently placed it against her clit. Cassie immediately sucked in and exhaled a gust of breath at the feeling of the toy moving against he still tender clit. “How’s that, darling? You like that?”

She rapidly bounced her head up and down before exclaiming, “F-fuck!” Her body tensed up and another orgasm ripple through her.

Tom removed the vibrator and licked at her clit with his tongue before replacing it on her. She swore again and jerked as she quickly came again. “Damn. Two already? I wonder what would happen if…” He turned it up to the next setting and returned it to her clit.

“Aah! No! Nononono…” She fought against the ties around her wrist as she once again came but this time it came out in small squirts.

“Ooh, darling. It’s been so long since you’ve done that.” He inserted two fingers into her pussy causing more of the come to squirt out. He shook his head and tsked. “I think you can do better than that, love. Let’s try it at a higher setting, hmm?” He smiled at her mischievously as he once again placed the toy to her clit.

Cassie’s eyelids fluttered as her eyes rolled into the back of her head. Her body shook and she stuttered out, “O-o-o-o…”

Tom promptly removed the vibrator and turned it off. “What are you trying to say, Cas? Orange?” She exhaled a few shuddering breaths before swallowing hard. “Take your time, baby.”

She swallowed again then softly gasped, “Oh god. Don’t stop.” He chuckled in his throat as the turned the toy back on and returned it between her thighs. Again she came quickly and squirted on the bed. The cover underneath her was drenched. Tom lowered her head between her legs and attempted to catch any of her come into his mouth. When he did, he let out an “mmm,” quickly wiped his mouth, and prepared to receive more.

Cassie meanwhile continued to buck and fight against her binds. The old brass bars on the headboard squeaked every time she moved but remained steady. She opened her mouth but any words she meant to say were only able to escape her lips in gibberish. She lost count of how many times she came. “Have you had enough yet, darling?” She wanted to say “no” and keep that beautiful orgasmic river flowing through her but even she had to admit her limit sometime, right? She started to speak but again was only able to stutter out nonsense. “Yeah, you’ve had enough,” he said before turning off the vibrator and placing it on the side table. He then untied one wrist from the headboard; then the other. Her arms tiredly dropped back onto the bed. He pecked her lips twice before gently kissing the inside of her wrists. “Are you okay?”

“Yes,” she shuddered out as she curled into his arms.

“Are you sure,” he asked as he still kissed her wrists.

“Yeah. Yeah. It’s just…wow…”

He laughed. “You called me out, Cas. I _had_ to step up to the challenge.”

“And did you ever.” A powerful urge to sleep overtook her. “But you know what,” she said as she nuzzled her face into his thin chest hairs.

“What?” He brushed a few curls away from her damp forehead.

“I bet I can make you come harder, though.”

He pulled her closer and chuckled. “You’re on.”


	17. Power Play (Her)

Tom and Cassie shared a raucous laugh with their friends Parker and Marissa. They had gone out to dinner to celebrate Marissa’s second thirty-fourth birthday. “She’s been thirty-four so long I had to remind myself that she’s actually forty-three,” Parker joked earning his a hard slap to the chest from his partner. The quartet continued to laugh and joke throughout dinner and dessert.

Cassie loved hanging out with her new friends—she almost never wanted to go home—but the hour had grown late. She peeped quickly at her watch and gasped, “Wow. Look at the time! Tom, we should leave.”

Tom checked the time on his watch and sucked in a gust of air at the hour. “Whoo. Yeah. We ought to head out.”

“So soon,” Marissa asked with a sad face. “But it’s not even one yet! Parker and I were thinking about heading out to club for some drinks.”

“We’d love to but we have so much important matters to take care of at home.” Tom and Cassie rose. Marissa was disappointed at the news but she understood that her friends were very busy. She and Parker kissed both sides of the duo’s cheeks and waved them farewell. “We’ll plan something for next weekend, yeah?”

“You better,” Marissa said with a finger wag.

Tom and Cassie hugged her once more and wished her another happy birthday before heading out to their car. The moment they got inside, Cassie was all over him. It was hell trying to concentrate on the road when her hands and lips were on his neck and thigh. “Cas, I’m trying to drive.”

“I know, darling. I’m trying to help you get there.” She moved her hand to his crotch causing him to jump.

“You and this damn jag!”

“No just the jag, baby,” she chuckled. “I just can’t wait to have my way with you when we get home.”

Tom took his eyes off the road for a brief moment to smile at her and reply, “Neither can I.”

\-------

Cassie felt bad for the half-lie she told her good friends at dinner. While it was true that they both had errands to attend to—she had to finish editing the script for her show; he still hadn’t prepared for his upcoming audition—they were far from the couple’s mind. The “important matter” they rushed home for was sex. (Isn’t it always with these two?)

Two days ago Cassie issued Tom a challenge: that she could make him come harder than he had before. It would be difficult to succeed because there was only one act that Cassie knew would make him come the hardest: pegging. They had done it twice before and both times his orgasm was so intense that it left him exhausted and shaking for minutes. She would have to step up her game.

She bounced up the stairs of their townhouse; Tom followed close behind her. She kicked off her shoes and opened the closet door. She started to pull their toy box out when she saw him loosening his tie from the corner of her eye. “No. Not yet. But you can take your shoes off though.” He nodded and untied and removed his shoes. He sat eagerly on the edge of the bed. She placed the box on the floor next to him but didn’t open it. “I’ll be back in a minute,” she said before quickly grabbing something off a rack and walking to their bathroom.

Tom nodded in reply and began shifting through the box of sex toys. The two had accumulated so many over the years: dildos, vibrators, plugs, beads, a paddle, gags, strap ons, a pair of handcuffs. All had been properly cleaned and safely put away after each use. Then there was the section in their large walk-in devoted to their costumes. There were many variations of “sexy” somethings: nurse, cheerleader, doctor, teacher. There was even a sexy bunny costume which basically consisted of satin pink ears and a pink lace, form-fitting bodice. She once surprised him by promising to wear it for him only to come out of the bathroom in an oversized large pink bunny costume—paws attached. (He had no idea where she got it from or where she hid it.) He had fallen over laughing at how adorable she looked engulfed by the ridiculous get up. Even now the memory still tickled him. He chuckled to himself as he pulled out the strap on and placed it on the bed. He pulled out the paddle and ball gag in case she wanted to use them as well.

He pulled out the drawer on the side table and removed a couple of condoms and the bottle of lube. It was almost gone. He would have to it to his personal to-do list. (He would never send his poor assistant out to get something so private.) “Tom.” Cassie’s voice diverted his attention from the bottle in his hand. When he saw her, his mouth fell open in stunned surprise.

She stood before him wearing a purple corset with black straps. Her normally humble breasts were pushed up in a full mound. The thong she wore barely covered her properly. (Even if it did, the fabric was so thin it left nothing to the imagination anyway.) She wore a pair of black thigh high stockings were attached to a garter that hung on the bottom of the corset and a pair of open toe heels. Tom licked his lips as his eyes traveled her body. “Wow, Cas, you look—”

“Madam.”

“What?”

“Call me ‘madam.’”

A smiled crooked in the corner of Tom’s mouth. “Yes, madam.”

“Good boy.” She slowly sauntered pass him allowing him full view of her bare ass. He grabbed his crotch as he watched her round cheeks move with each footfall. She could feel his eyes on her. She bent over and pretended to adjust her stockings so that her ass could protrude even more. She looked back over her shoulder at him. “Do you like what you see?”

“You know I do, Ca—uh, I mean… Yes, madam,” he answered with a lick of his lips.

“You should really be careful of that, Thomas. Unless you want to get punished.”

“Yes, madam.”

“Good.” She took a seat in the chair that sat in front of her vanity. “Undress,” she ordered. He immediately began taking off his jacket. “Slowly, Thomas. I want a show.” He hid his smile as he removed his clothing piece by piece. Tie, jacket, shirt, pants, socks until he stood before her in just his boxers. He gave her a knowing grin as he hooked his thumbs in the waistband and rolled them off his narrow hips. He stood unashamed before her in all his naked glory. She gave him a pleased smile as her eyes roamed his body. He was thin but toned. His abs were well define and his delicious V-lines on his hips always made her want to lick them. Then there was his beautiful thick cock. Even at half-attention he was impressive.

She rose and stalked towards him. She grabbed the back of his neck and pulled him down for a lingering kiss. She pulled away from him suddenly; his jaw tensed at the saddened denial. He wrapped his arm across the small of her back and pulled her back to him. He was about to kiss her again when she pressed her hand to his chest and pushed herself away again. “No. You don’t touch me unless I give you permission. You disobey and I’ll cuff you, understand?”

“Yes, madam.”

“Good.” She moved closer to him again and rubbed his hands over his skin. First across his broad shoulders, then down his toned chest and abs, before finally resting them on his hip bones. She walked a couple of fingers across them causing him to giggle. She kissed his chest then licked and bit his nipple. He let out a soft moan at her action. “You like that, darling?”

“Yes, madam.”

“You want more?”

“Yes, madam.”

“You have to earn more.” His jaw tensed again and she had to resist the urge to smile. She was enjoying herself immensely. She walked back to her vanity seat and crossed her legs. “Are you still wearing the plug, love?” He nodded. “No, Thomas. Use your words like a big boy.”

“Yes, madam.”

“Show me.” He turned and bent over slightly and showed her the end of the silver plug between his cheeks. “Good. I’m not gonna fuck you just yet, though. You have to earn that as well. You’ve been very spoiled, Thomas. Getting all this good pussy whenever you want it. Now you have to fucking work for it, you understand?”

“Yes, madam.”

“You see,” she uncrossed her legs and spread them wide, “you don’t really appreciate this pussy.” She pulled the crotch of her thong up so that the thin fabric disappeared between her plump folds. Tom eyed her pussy lustfully and began stroking himself. “No. You don’t have permission to touch yourself. Not yet.” His hand promptly fell from his cock but his desire remained. He wanted to march over there and taste her then fuck her raw. But he would behave. It would be much better with permission. Also, he was afraid that if he disobeyed his punishment would be no pegging. And he desperately wanted her to fuck him. Hell he had worked himself up all evening for it. He wasn’t about to ruin a good thing.

But the resistance was hard. As hell. Especially when she slipped her hands between her folds and began fingering herself. “I—ah!—I bet you want to be in this pussy so badly, don’t you?”

“Yes, madam,” he replied nearly breathlessly. His cock begged to be touched in some way. He entertained giving the tip a quick squeeze when she closed her eyes but he pushed the thought away. He could wait. He could be a good boy.

“Aah! God, Tom,” she exclaimed as she rocked on her fingers. “I feel so good. Almost as good as you.” He swallowed hard. What he wouldn’t give to replace her fingers with his. She removed her hand from her pussy and brought it to her mouth. “Mmm…” she said at the taste. “I bet you want to try some.”

“Yes, madam.”

“Get on your knees.” He obeyed. She beckoned him with her index. “Come get you some, boy.” He kept his eyes on her crotch as he crawled across the room to her. He pulled her shapely thighs further apart before looking up at her.

“May I, madam?” She had barely completed her nod when he tightened his grip on her thighs and buried his face between them. He sat back on his heels as he feasted on her.

“Oh god… oh god… Fuckfuckfuckfuck!” He ate her as if he were actually trying to devour her. He ate her as if he were starving. He reveled in the swears and moans that his licks and sucks were producing. Each time she flinched or jerked he would pressed harder against her clit to incite more of the same responses. She grasped the edge of the seat with one hand and panted harder as she raised slightly off it. “Ah, yes! Like that, Thomas! Keep—aah, baby! Mmm…” He started to pull back so that he could slip a finger inside her but she ensnared a handful of his hair and pushed him back to her. He had forgotten that quick that she was in control. He didn’t move or stop until she said so. And her words were nowhere near deterring.

He kneaded the flesh on her thighs as he continued lapping at her. He randomly changed his speed from quick flicks to slow, leisurely licks then back again. Every now and then he’d break up these actions with a suck on her clit or lips. She couldn’t get enough. Even _after_ she came. She held his head pressed against her pussy until she fully rode out her second orgasm. She maintained her grip on his hair as she sat back in her seat; his tongue still darted out. He hadn’t had enough of her yet. She was tempted to allow him another taste but thought against it. Besides, she was ready to return the favor. “Good boy,” she panted as she finally released him.

“Thank you, madam.”

“For you reward,” she continued still somewhat out of breath, “you get to come.”

“Thank you, madam.”

“Go lie on the bed.” He obeyed her command. He crawled on the bed and raised his ass in the air. “No. On your back.” He turned over. She grabbed a pair of handcuff from their toy box. “Hands.” He excitedly lifted them over his head. She cuffed them and dangled the key that sat on a bracelet around her wrist to assure him that he wouldn’t be stuck there all evening. (Although if she did leave him it would be sweet revenge for the time he cuffed her without checking for the key first. She was angrily tied up for nearly thirty minutes before he remembered he put it in his side table drawer.)

She kissed his lips and smiled at the remnant of her juices still on them. “Mmm… I’m delicious. You’re so lucky to have a girl whose pussy tastes this good.”

“I am, madam.”

She continued kissing down his chest. She took a moment to lick and bite his nipples. “Aah…” he softly said in response. She rubbed her hands across his chest then sunk her nails into his skin and dragged then down his abs. She knew he liked a little pain with his pleasure. Sure enough as she repeated the action he hissed and bucked his hips.

“Again?”

“Please, madam.”

She raked her nails down him again. “You like that?”

“Aah! Ye-yes, madam!”

“Don’t move. Not even an inch,” she warned as she straddled him and slowly lowered herself on his length. She smiled devilishly as he bucked against the handcuffs. He wanted the grab her and slam her down onto him but he, of course, couldn’t. He wanted to thrust up into her but he was sure that action would get him punished. But he had to remind himself to behave. The long term payoff would be greater than the immediate release. She rose until she was almost completely off of him then lowered herself back down. She repeated this action multiple times. Tom tensed his jaw with each slow move. She was surely trying to kill him. “Aww, poor baby. You’re tired of being teased.”

“Ye-yes, madam.”

“You think you can handle all this good pussy?”

“I can, madam.” She laughed and sat back down on his cock.

“You ever have pussy this good,” she asked as she rode him

“Aah! N-no, madam!”

“Damn right!” Cassie began bouncing on his dick faster now. She pressed her nails into his chest and dragged them down the red marks she had already made on his skin.

“F…” his voice trailed off. He wouldn’t do something stupid now and ruin everything. Even though it was hard as hell not to call out at the feeling of her nails breaking his skin. And is sure as hell was doubly hard to not thrust up into her in appreciation at the repeated slaps she gave him. And it was especially difficult to not whimper aloud when she rose off him, turned around, and slowly lowered herself back on his cock.

Oh this girl was good. Who knew that his sweet little Cassie who would blush at a sweet compliment would also be a maven at torture? She rocked and bounced on him so that her ass shook with each movement. He bit his lips and fought against the cuffs as he watched her round cheeks jiggle. God what he wouldn’t do to grab them or slap them or even bury his tongue between them! “You like this fat ass, Thomas?”

“I do, madam!”

“Bet you—mmm—bet you wish you can grab it or,” she slapped her right cheek, “do that?”

“Yes, madam,” he replied as he bucked against his restraints again.

“Are you close?”

“Yes,” he said as he bit his lips hard enough to break skin. “Ma-madam,” he quickly added. He was so wrapped up in his impending orgasm that he nearly forgot. But it must not have been fast enough because she promptly hopped off of him. He wanted to shout out “no!” and bombard her with apologizes but he chose to remain silent instead. There was no point in making his punishment worse.

Cassie rolled off the bed, grabbed the strap on, and stepped into the harness. “You’ve been a very good boy, Thomas.”

“Th-thank you, madam,” his voice didn’t hide his surprise. He was sure there would be repercussions for his late reply earlier. But he wouldn’t be the fool to bring it up. Not when his orgasm was already so close.

“Lift your legs.” He pulled his knees up and held back a moan as she removed the plug from his ass and sat it on the stand. She grabbed the lubed from the stand and applied it to him—one could never be too careful—before unwrapping a condom and slipping it onto the strap on. He panted softly as she entered him.

Tom tossed his head back as she stroked into him. “Ahh…oh…f…” He fought against every sound that exited his mouth.

She lifted his leg and rested it on her shoulder. “You like this,” she asked as she issued him steady, rhythmic strokes.

“Yes… yes… madam. Oh god…” he responded with a groan.

The sounds he was making was increasing her arousal. She would have to sit on his face after he came. She increased her speed so that now she was slamming into him. He thanked her with more grunts and groans but no words. He was, after all, a very good boy. She wrapped her hands around his cock and started jerking him. “Come on, baby. Come on.” She moved her hand quicker now to help egg him on. “Come on. Don’t hold it baby. Come for me.” His legs trembled and his breathing became irregular as he felt a tightening in his lower abdomen. His cock twitched in her palm as his come shot out of the tip and landed on his stomach.

Cassie quickly pulled out of him, dropped to her knees, and wrapped her lips around his cock. She danced her tongue around his head as she continued to jerk his come into her mouth. What she couldn’t swallow dripped onto him. He grunted and swore as she sucked the last of his come out. “Mmm…” she said with a lick of her lips. “We taste so good together. She licked up his shaft to get more of her juices onto her tongue. She rose and unhooked the strap on then stepped out of it. She let it drop to the floor before crawling onto the bed and kissing him on the lips. “Don’t we taste good?”

“We do, madam.”

“Oh,” she giggled and unlocked the cuffs. “You can call me ‘Cassie’ again.” She kissed the red marks on the inside of his wrists.

“I don’t know… I kinda liked the ‘madam’ stuff. Where’d you get that from anyway?”

She humped her shoulders. “I don’t know. It sort of came to me when I was getting dressed.”

“Well I like it, madam,” he nearly cooed the word.

She giggled again before looking down at the drying come on his chest. She dipped some up and was about to taste it but Tom sucked it off her finger first. “You so nasty.”

“I am, madam. Disgusting.” They shared a brief chuckle. “We should probably get cleaned up. Unless you’re ready for round two.”

“Hmm… I thought I was. Especially when you was all like,” she mocked his earlier sounds. “I was even tempted to sit on your face but now I’m too tired.”

“Oh, god, Cas, please sit on my face!”

“No! We have to go shower then put these nasty ass sheets in the wash.”

“We’ll do that later. But first, Cas—madam!—please do the honor of sitting on my face.”

She gently twisted her face to one side and bobbed her head as she mulled it over. “Hmm…okay!” He cheered before readjusting his position on the bed and beckoning for her with his hands. She straddled his face and slowly lowered herself on him. She was barely situated before he locked his arms around her thighs and began excitedly licking at her. “I swear, boy, you’re—aah! fuckfuckfuck!—something else…”


	18. A Conversation in Bed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tom and Cassie chill on a Sunday afternoon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just had this fluff idea in my head and decided to write it down because I really think Tom & Cassie are adorable.

It was a warm Sunday afternoon. Both Tom and Cassie had a list of uncompleted errands they had to get through before Monday. Yet here they both were still lying in bed at a little after twelve in the afternoon. Neither really wanted to move. Their bed was soft and warm and comfortable. Besides weren’t they allowed _one_ lazy day?

“Hmm,” Tom grumbled into the back of Cassie’s neck, “I say… oatmeal.”

“Oatmeal?”

“Yep. Oatmeal.”

“You’re stuck on a stranded island and can eat only one thing and you choose…oatmeal,” Cassie chuckled.

“Well, you didn’t like my last choice!”

“I know how much you love eating pussy, darling, but it’s not a sustainable meal.”

“Says you.”

Cassie shook her head and rolled over onto her back. “I have to go grocery shopping,” she mused as she twirled a curl between her fingers.

The quick change in topics didn’t faze Tom. All morning their conversation had been bouncing from one random subject to another. He couldn’t even remember how they got on the island conversation. He was sure not ten minutes before that they were talking about her shoes; and twenty minutes before that they were discussing some television show. “Yeah. The fridge is looking a little empty.”

“I know. But I don’t wanna get out of bed just yet.”

He firmly placed his hands on the bed next to her head and adjusted himself so that he was now hovering above her. “Then don’t. I don’t have to be anywhere important until four.” He pecked her lips twice before kissing her once on the nose. “How flexible are you?”

“What,” she asked with a furrowed brow at the random question.

“How flexible are you?” Before she could respond, he quickly grabbed one leg and placed it on his shoulder.

“Thomas!”

“Shh! I’m doing an experiment.” He grabbed her other leg and placed it on his free shoulder. He slowly leaned down onto her. “Does this hurt?”

“Not too much.”

He leaned further down. “How about this?”

“Ow. A little. Why did this need to be done? You know how flexible I am.”

“I know. I just really wanted your legs around my head.”

She slapped his arm before grabbing the collar of his shirt and pulling herself up a little for a kiss. “You know this would be better if I had some inches in me.”

Tom pulled back to give her some relief. “Inches?”

“Yeah. Inches.”

“I don’t understand.”

She giggled. “Context, Tom!”

He thought about it for a moment and let out an “oh!” once the realization hit him. “Inches… Well, darling, all you have to do I say the word and these damned things will be gone like magic,” he joked as he pulled on the band of her shorts.

“Behave! Please!”

“What are you talking about? I’m a delight, Cas.” He placed tiny wet kisses on her legs as he rubbed them.

“Thomas,” she warned.

“Cassandra,” he mocked her tone. “You ever think about your name,” he said quickly as he rubbed her left foot.

“What do you mean?”

“Cassandra,” he repeated this time affixing a peculiar accent as he spoke. He continued repeating her name. She rolled her eyes but the act of annoyance only spurred his mischievous nature on. He played with the syllables of her name, elongated the “san” in the second half, and switched his accent again as he said “dra.” She cursed the day she decided to tell him her full name.

“Tom, please…” He continued playing with her name as he massaged her right foot. She tossed her head back onto her pillow in irritation and, after a few moments, she kicked him. (Not hard enough to hurt but with enough force to stop him.)

“Ow!”

“Oh, baby, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to hurt you!”

“I’m fine. I just wanted to see that look on your face.” The concerned appearance she held quickly soured and she kicked at him again. Yet this time he captured her legs and held them.

“Lemme go, you ass!”

“Why? So you can kick me again, shorty?” He began tickling her feet.

“No! Don’t! Stop! You know I hate being tickled,” she said through reluctant laughs.

“Never, Cassandra!”

“Stop—ha!—calling me—ahahaha!—that!”

“Sorry, Cassandra, darling, I can’t hear you over all that laughter. What was that?”

“I—haha!—hate you!”

He stopped tickling—but still maintained his grip on her ankles with one large hand—and placed a hand to his chest in fake offense. “Words hurt, Cassandra,” he said with mock hurt. “I’m afraid I’m going to have to keep tickling you until you love me again.

“What? How’s that’s supposed to—hahaha!” Her words were cut off by his resumed tickling. “Please, Thomas! No more!”

“I’ll stop when you say you love me again.”

“All right! I love you!” He stopped immediately and dropped her short legs back onto the bed.

“See? That wasn’t so hard now was it?” She started to kick at him again but he again captured her legs. “You just don’t learn do you?”

“No, no! Please! I’m sorry! Don’t tickle me again! Please!”

He chuckled and kissed the smooth soles of her feet. “I won’t. I’ll behave if you will.” He plopped down next to her on the bed causing it—and her—to bounce.

“I was behaving. You were the one torturing me.”

“Tickling isn’t torture, Cassandra.”

“Okay, one, there are countries that use tickling as a torture method; and two—”

“Which countries? You say that every time but you never name a country.”

“Shut up. And two, stop calling me ‘Cassandra!’”

He laughed and acquiesced to her command. He could never understand why she strongly disliked her full name. Whenever he asked her about it she could never give him a reasonable answer. She would only hump her shoulders and reply, “Eh… just do.”

He rested his head on her chest and closed his eyes. He was about to drift off into a quiet rest when Cassie began to hum. “What’s that?”

“‘You Can’t Win’ from _The Wiz_.”

“Oh, god, no…”

“Yep! It’s my turn to annoy you! You can’t win… You can’t break even! You can’t get out of the game!” She never had the strongest voice but she couldn’t resist singing the iconic tune loudly. She started rocking her shoulders and continued, “You can’t win… the world keeps moving and you’re standing far behind…” He put his hand over her face but she didn’t stop.

“Okay! I get it! I won’t be so annoying! Just no more of that song!”

She pulled his hands down and kept on, “So you lean back! And you smoke that smoke and you drink your glass of wine… Sing with me!” He shook his head. _The Wiz_ was Cassie’s favorite movie but, despite the many times she forced him to watch it, he could never get into it. That being said, he still knew the words to nearly all the songs by heart. (Due to the repeated viewings.) Cassie continued singing. She bounced her shoulders to the beat in her head; she paused singing only to bite one corner of her lips and playfully wink at him. Tom couldn’t resist laughing at the adorable actions. He resigned with a sigh and sang along with her. “Better cool it! Cause it if ain’t about losing…”

“Then the world got no shame,” Tom finished off for her. She held her gut and chuckled heartily at the way he nearly perfectly mimicked Michael Jackson. He ad libbed Michael’s iconic “shamons” and hiccups as he continued singing the song. The sound of it made Cassie laugh even harder. When she could no longer take it—her side was beginning to hurt—she covered his mouth with her hand.

“No more, dude.” He stopped singing, removed her hand and smiled as he wrapped her hand in his. “Your hands are so huge,” said as she pulled his hand close to her lips and kissed the back of his knuckles.

“I’ve never had any complaints.”

“I bet. What’s your favorite feature?”

“Well, I’m partial to legs,” he walked his fingers up her frame as he spoke, “thighs… hips… a warm cunt…” Cassie rolled her eyes. “Tummy… beautiful brown tits…” he squeezed her right breast, “lips,” he pecked her quickly, “nose… dark eyes…”

“I meant,” she removed his hand from her chest, “on you.”

“Oh.” He took a moment to pretend to mull it over before adding, “My answer still stands.”

“Ooh. You’re so smooth.”

“You love it. What’s yours?”

“You mean which of your features I love the most?” He nodded. “Um…” Her eyes darted across his face. “I love your nose,” she said softly before tapping the tip of it with her index finger and saying, “boop.” “Those eyes are _devastating_ ,” she continued. “If you told me to rob a bank while looking at me I would do it. Without hesitation.”

“Cassie… Go rob a bank,” he said with a smile.

She giggled. “Right away!” She started to rise but he pulled her back down.

“I’m not letting you go. At least not without a proper alibi.”

“Aww… my baby always got my back.” She straddled him and entwined her hands in his. She kissed his nose then the knuckles on his hand again. “You know what else I like?”

“My… big, fat cock?”

“No! Well, yes. Lemme stop lying. I love that dick, daddy.” They shared a laugh. “But I also like these,” she grabbed his ears. He puffed up his cheeks and made elephant noises. Her body shook as she chuckled. She puffed her cheeks and joined in his revelry. They rubbed their noses while they continued making animal noises. They continued on like this for a few moments until their playful sounds were interrupted by a large gargling noise.

“What was that,” Tom asked.

“My stomach.” She rubbed her hand across her belly. “I’m starving. Ugh. But there’s nothing edible in the kitchen.” She rolled off of him and plopped back down onto the bed. “I really don’t feel like going to the store today. But I also don’t want to starve.”

“Decisions… decisions. How about we order a couple of pizzas then go shopping later this evening?”

“Oh my god… Why didn’t my dumb ass think of that?”

“You’re not dumb. You just have a problem thinking on an empty stomach.”

“True.”

Tom reached for his cell. The moment he had the phone in his hand it started to vibrate. “Shit,” he murmured once he saw the name. “It’s Luke!”

“My cousin?” Tom made an incredulous face. “Oh! _Your_ Luke.” She pointed at her temple. “Hungry brain.”

He shook his head and answered the call. “Hello?” Cassie rolled her eyes when she heard Luke’s voice through the phone. She made a gesture with her hands to symbolize the publicist’s talkative nature. Tom made a disapproving face. “What? But I thought it wasn’t until… Yeah… Yeah, I know but… Yeah…” Tom sighed and rubbed his lids. “Okay, okay! I have to get showered and dressed. Huh? Don’t worry. I’ll be there.” He ended the call and looked back at Cassie. Her arms were folded across her chest and her lips held a pout. “Oh, come on, Cas. Don’t be like that.”

“Does that man have a ‘Tom is having fun so lemme fuck it up for him’ meter or something?”

“Come on, darling,” he kissed her temple, “you knew I had to leave for four anyway.”

“Yeah! Four! I thought I was gonna have you all to myself a little while longer.” She pouted again but this time she added her puppy dog eyes.

“Oh, Cas, please don’t make that face.”

“I can’t help it,” she lied.

“Can you try? At least for a few hours? I have to go to this meeting then a shoot and an interview. But I’ll return around… six or seven.” He kissed the corner of her mouth then moved to her lips and lingered. When they finally pulled apart he added, “Then I’m all yours for the rest of the night, okay?” She nodded softly. “That’s my girl. Hey, how about I order you a pizza now and then later we go out to dinner? Maybe take in a movie first? How’s that sound?”

“I guess,” she said still pouting.

“‘I guess,’” he repeated, mimicking her accent almost perfectly. She sucked her teeth before relaxing into an easy smile and playfully hitting his chest. “There’s that smile I love!” He rose off the bed and extended his hand to her.

“Where are we going?”

“Well, I have to take a shower before I leave. You surely didn’t think I would take it alone?”

Her smile grew wider. “Boy, you are too much.”


	19. Boredom & Mischief

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tom just can’t resist an opportunity to be mischievous.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a short, fluffy little one shot that came into my head this evening.

Tom groaned in annoyance as he looked at his ringing cell. Luke had been calling him non-stop for the last three days to remind him about his upcoming interviews and photo shoots. “Please, don’t be late again, Thomas! We had to shuffle a lot of shit around to get this interview. So get a good night’s rest and arrive early tomorrow. And by ‘good night’s rest’ I don’t mean spend the entire evening with your little girlfriend,” Luke had left in a voicemail. That last comment was what really set off Tom’s agitation. He knew Cassie and Luke weren’t the closest of people but he loved her and, therefore, Luke needed to show her some respect. Yet Tom wasn’t in the mood to chew out his PR manager–yet again!–especially after he just spent an hour talking to the man. Instead, Tom turned off his phone and sought out a diversion.

His thoughts immediately went to Cassie. When she came home a few hours ago he was deep in conversation with his agent. She peeked her head into his office and silently waved hello before exiting again. He had meant to officially greet her but then got sidetracked by Luke. But now that he was free he could spend time with his beloved. Maybe they could catch a movie and eat out somewhere before he had to retire early to bed like an old man.

He hummed the beat to some earworm that’s been stuck in his head for two weeks as he bounced out of his office and down the hall. When he made it to the living room he saw Cassie’s petite framed curled up on the couch fast asleep. He knew he should probably let her finish napping but another part of him just couldn’t let an opportunity for mischief pass.

A devious smile crooked on his thin lips as a thought entered his mind. He continued humming as he sauntered into the kitchen. He opened the fridge and pulled out a yet unopened bottle of whipped cream. He shook it twice before popping the top and spraying some into his mouth. He hummed the tune again as he casually made his way back to the couch.

One of Cassie’s arms was dangling off the side. Tom stifled a laugh as he opened her hand and sprayed the cream into her palm. She jerked her head slightly and mumbled something but didn’t awake. Tom bit his lip in amusement as he gently stroked one side of her face. She rocked her head from side to side but still remained asleep. Tom repeated his previous action only for it to, again, stir but not arouse her.

He was beginning to get frustrated. He tried one last time. This time proved much more fruitful. She mumbled in annoyance at her rest being disturbed and attempted to brush away the irritant only to receive a face full of lukewarm, sticky whip cream causing her to awake promptly. Tom didn’t resist bursting out into a loud laugh. He shook the can and emptied more of the light topping into his mouth as she groggily tried to process what had occurred. “What is that?”

“Whipped cream,” he responded with a broad grin. His smile transformed into another raucous laugh as she eyed her hand in confusion.

“You think this is funny?”

“Yeah.” He sprayed more of the cream into his mouth. “What are you going to do about it, shorty.”

Cassie shook the nearly dried food onto the floor and softly warned, “I’m gonna kill you.” The second she arose from the couch, Tom didn’t hesitate to run up the stairs. “Get back here, you British bastard!”

She followed him as close as she could–her short legs had nothing on his long ones–yelling threats the entire way. Once she made it to the top of the stairs she saw Tom standing in the hall mocking her. “You know you’re actually adorable when you’re upset.”

“I’m gonna kill you,” she repeated. Tom shook his knees in faux fear before running into the bedroom. He tried to close the door behind him but Cassie caught it before he could. They wrestled against it. She tried to push it open; he pushed back in defense. (Truthfully he could have easily overpowered her and shut her out completely but where was the fun in that?) After a few moments of this, Tom finally relented and allowed her to enter the room. “You think you’re so cute,” Cassie remarked as she stalked towards him. Tom gave her a goofy grin and nodded his head in reply. “Well you won’t be after I get my hands on you.” He silently challenged her to do her worst by beckoning her forward with his hands.

She ran towards him and tried to get the can from him. Tom caught her wrists the moment she plunged forward. She cursed him and demanded for him to release her. “Never, shorty!” She fought against him but he is grip was too tight. “Seriously, Cas. That’s the best you got?”

“Nah. I can do better.” She kicked him hard in the shin causing him to swear. He bent over and rubbed his sore leg dropping the can of whip cream in the process. “A-ha,” Cassie called out in victory as she picked up the can. “Now you’re gonna get it,” she warned before pushing her unsuspecting lover onto the bed. She jumped on him and began spraying the cream all over his chest and face. “How do you like sticky, white stuff all over _your_ face?”

“Phrasing, Cas! Phrasing,” Tom exclaimed between chuckles. He tried to protect his face from the assault but it was no use. Cassie grabbed one hand and held it away from his face so she could continue his punishment.

Suddenly the sweet foam stopped coming out of the nozzle. Cassie frowned as she shook the can and tried to spray it again. Nothing. “Well, I guess that’s that,” she commented to Tom’s completely covered face. “I don’t know why you gotta do this to yourself, Thomas. You know I’m a vengeful bitch. You could have just let me sleep but no! You had to–”

Her speech was cut silent by a handful of the topping being thrown in her face. She wiped her face and threw the excess food onto the bed–it was going to be hell cleaning all this up–before glaring at him. Tom was proudly licking his fingers clean. “What,” he asked in mock innocence.

“Oh that is it!” She tried to attack him again but he caught her hands in his. They wrestled for a few moments before Tom got the upper hand and flipped their positions. “Lemme go!”

“Never, short stuff!” He began tickling her sides causing her bust out into loud laughter.

“You’re such a shit!”

“And you love me!” He continued tickling her causing her to wiggle wildly underneath him. Meanwhile, the remaining whipped cream on his face was beginning to melt. It slipped off his face and landed in a big blob onto her hair. Tom stopped his actions immediately. “Oh shit,” he said warily.

“Thomas,” Cassie said slowly, “did that shit get into my hair.”

“Just a tad,” he answered while trying to comb the cream out with his fingers. He only succeeded in making it worse.

“Get off, get off, get off!” The moment he rolled off of her, Cassie ran to her vanity mirror. The food had already begun to dry into her curls. She gasped and looked back at him. Before he could defend himself she ran up to him and slapped him repeatedly on the arm.

“Ow! Ow, Cas! Stop! I’m sorry!”

“You’re sorry? What did I tell you?”

Tom sighed and reluctantly quoted, “'Never fuck with a black girl’s hair.’”

“And what did you do?”

“Aw, come on, Cassie…”

“What! Did! You! Do?”

He sighed again. “I fucked with a black girl’s hair. But on accident!”

“'Accident?’” She resumed hitting him again. “This would have never happened of you weren’t so damn bad! I just washed my hair yesterday!”

“Ouch! Ow! Goddamn, Cas, please! I’ll–ow!–wash it out for you! Just stopped hitting me.”

She obliged his request but she was still pretty upset with him. She folded her arms across her chest and said, “You’re damn right you will.”

He cupped her face in his hands. “I’m sorry, love.” He grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the bathroom. “Lets get you cleaned up. Then maybe I can dirty you up again in the bath.”

“Nope. You’ve been a bad boy, Thomas. You don’t deserve the cookie.”

“Sure, love. Whatever you say.”

She tugged his arm causing him to stop and look back at her. “I mean it, boy,” she said sternly as she pointed her index in his face. “You gets nothing.”

Tom exhaled a wry chuckle before scooping her in his arms and planting a lingering, passionate kiss on her full lips. She pressed her body closer to his and roamed her hands up his arms before wrapping around his neck. He knew then he had her. He broke the kiss leaving her nearly breathless then repeated, “Sure, love. Whatever you say.”


	20. More Backstory

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I wrote this back when I was working on Cassie’s back story but it was getting too long and I wanted to proceed with the storyline. This is the beginning of her and her ex’s Greg relationship. I had planned on showing what caused their relationship to end but like I said it was getting too long. 
> 
> This has been sitting on my tumblr for months and I decided to add it here. :)

Cassie didn’t even think about dating again until her freshman year of college when she met Greg Simmons. The first time they saw each other her hair was covered in a hair net and she was scrubbing down tables in the cafeteria of the Student Union Building. She was brought to his attention by a friend, Damien, who pointed at her and remarked, “Okay, man, what about her? I say she’s…a three.” The men were playing their favorite game where they rated a random girl based on physical attractiveness from one to five.

Greg looked up from his curly fries that he was currently dunking in a ketchup and hot sauce mixture. He smiled when he saw Cassie. “Her? A three? Nah, man.”

“What too high? Two and a half?”

“‘Two and a…’ Nah, that’s too low. I say a four.”

“‘Four,’” another friend, Jamie, asked before taking a sip of his soda. “Nah, dude. D’s right. Three tops.”

“Y’all fools blind as fuck.” Greg looked back at Cassie who had now moved on to another table. She let out a loud, exasperated groan at the mess on the table before picking up the leftover cups and plates and tossing them into the bin in her hands. “I still say four.”

Damien made a face while he reexamined Cassie. “I still say three. Maybe three and a half with the booty.” He looked back at Cassie and grinned as he watched the cheeks on her plump behind rise and fall as she walked towards the back of the cafeteria. Puberty finally hit her at fifteen and subtly filled out her constantly bemoaned figure. Her breasts were still small and her hips were slightly less narrow than previously before. The only part of her that dramatically filled out was her behind. The small round curves that she had before had grown more plump. Her thighs and legs lost their toothpick-like appearance and had become toned thanks to four years of running track in high school.

“That ass is nice,” Jamie said while watching Cassie disappear behind the double doors that lead to the back of the cafeteria where the kitchen was housed. “So…hit or miss,” he asked in reference to whether any of the men would sleep with her or not.

“Oh, I say ‘hit’ definitely,” Greg said enthusiastically.

“Miss,” Damien chimed in. “She looks uppity. Like…she’ll make you work hard for it or some shit.”

“And…that’s a bad thing,” Jamie asked with a raised brow.

“Yeah! I ain’t got time for the foolishness!”

“Pay attention to what he’s saying, Jamie,” Greg added. “My mama always told me ‘when a dog barks, you listen.’” The men continued chatting and laughing until Cassie reentered the main part of the cafeteria and immediately began to clean off a nearby table. The men watched her in silence. Occasionally they would make faces to one another and mouth vulgar comments.

Cassie rubbed at an itch on her right eyebrow with the back of her hand—she was afraid of touching her face with her dirty hands—before heading towards the men’s table. “Y’all finished yet,” she asked while balancing the bin of dirty dishes on her right hip.

“Yeah, you can get here, ma.” Greg smiled at her and placed his plate of soggy fries into the bin. Cassie ignored the smile he gave her—as well as the coy looks of his friends—and proceeded to wipe down the table. Greg decided to take his chance. “Say, ma, what’s your name?”

Cassie sucked her teeth but didn’t stop working. “It ain’t ‘ma.’”

Damien and Jamie laughed at Greg’s failure but he only shot them a dirty look before trying again. “I’m sorry, ma, uh, miss. I just want to know your name.”

Cassie gave him a curt, “No.”

“‘No?’ Is that short for something,” he joked.

Cassie adjusted the bin on her hip and finally looked at him. She gave him a sweet smile and said, “Hell no,” before walking away.

“Fuck,” Damien blurted out in between loud laughs. “Shorty cut you off with the quickness! I told you she was uppity.”

“Nah,” Greg replied as he watched Cassie talk to a co-worker. “Y’all know how much I love a challenge.” He reached into the pockets of his sweats and pulled out a folded flyer. He rose from the table and head towards Cassie—his friends eagerly in tow behind him. He tapped her on the shoulder and she turned to him with a grimace. Greg was undeterred by it. “So, uh, my frat is having a party tonight,” he said as he unfolded the flyer and handed it to her. Cassie wouldn’t take it so her co-worker grabbed it instead. “You should come. We can hang out.”

Cassie rolled her eyes and opened her mouth to tell him where he could stick his invitation but was cut off by her co-worker. “I’ve been dying to go to party! What time does it start?”

“Uh…eight. I hope to see you there…,” he paused hoping she would relent and reveal her name. She didn’t take the bait.

However, her co-worker did. “Rebecca,” she chirped. “And this is Cassie!” Cassie glared at Rebecca. She resisted the urge to punch the tiny brunette in her shoulder.

“Cassie,” Greg repeated her name. “See you at eight, Cassie.” He gave her a wink before heading towards the exit.

Cassie waited until the men were fully out of earshot before angrily turning to Rebecca and saying, “What the fuck, Rebecca! Why the hell did you tell him my name?”

“What? He was cute! I don’t see what the prob—”

“The problem,” Cassie yelled out. She looked around at the remaining patrons and decided to lower her voice. “The problem is if I wanted any of them to know my name I would have told them!” Rebecca opened her mouth to defend her previous actions but Cassie held up a hand to silence her. “I don’t want to hear it,” she said slowly through her teeth. She mumbled swears under her breath as she marched away.

Cassie was still angry a couple hours later while she sat on her twin bed in her dorm and recanted the story to her roommate, Kelli, who was trying on outfits in front of her full length mirror that hung on their shared closet door. “Well, maybe, she was just trying to help,” Kelli said while turning her lithe frame from side to side.

“Wait…You’re defending her,” Cassie asked in disbelief.

“No, I just don’t think it’s as big of a problem as you’re making it out to be.” Cassie sucked her teeth at the comment and folded her arms across her chest. “Don’t make that funny sound with your teeth! You know I’m right. You’re being very Daniel Day Lewis about this whole name thing.”

“‘Daniel Day…?’ What the fuck does that mean, Kelli?”

“You know that big scene in The Crucible where he won’t give the people his name. ‘Because it is my name! Because I can have another in my life!’ Ugh. I feel in love with him instantly. He was my first crush, you know?”

Cassie rolled her eyes and fell back on her bed. She liked Kelli but the girl was always pulling out random movie facts and quotes. She was like a breathing IMDB trivia section. “The point is, Kelli, she was out of line. If I wanted him to know I would have told him. It’s that simple.”

“Well, was he cute,” Kelli asked while pulling off the dress she was trying on and reaching for another one of the plethora of clothes that filled their closet.

“What…What does that have to do with anything?” Cassie began to wonder if all white girls lacked simple comprehension skills or if it were just those in her life.

“I’m just saying a cute guy knowing your name is a lot better than some ugly guy knowing your name.” Cassie made a confused face and was about to question her roommate’s logic but decided against it. Instead she grabbed the pillow from under her head, covered it over her face, and screamed into it. The muffled sound caused Kelli to turn her head in Cassie’s direction. She rolled her eyes and pulled the pillow off her face. “Stop being so dramatic.” She put her hands on her hips. “So…How do I look?”

“Okay, I guess,” Cassie said with a pout. “You going on another date with What’s His Face?”

“Ethan. And no. We broke up. He was too….white.”

“Um…,” Cassie held back chuckle. “Correct me if I’m wrong but, uh, aren’t you white?”

“Yes, but, Ethan was….mayonnaise on Wonder Bread white.” Both girls chuckled at the joke. “I mean, I guess he’s fine if you want to be the future wife of a boring alderman but I want excitement! I’m eighteen! I want to party and drink and fuck hot guys. I’ll do the boring trophy wife shit when I’m forty and my tits are down to my knees.” The strange truth was that Kelli was right about her future. In ten years she would be married (her second) to a nice but seemingly boring guy from Connecticut (her home state) with political ambitions. Ten years from that she would be divorced from this guy (whose political career would come to a screeching halt after his dealing with shady “businessmen” are made public) and would be in a committed same-sex marriage with a woman named Sheila and their six (two adopted) kids.

“So where are you going,” Cassie asked her.

“To that frat party. You should come with.”

Cassie sucked her teeth again and Kelli groaned at the sound of it. “No. I might run into ol’ boy and I don’t want to have to deal with that. Besides…I have a lot of homework and shit.”

“Cassie, for the month that we’ve been roommates you’ve done nothing but work and study, study and work. Ugh. You’re like my dad. Only short and black. You need to get out! I feel like a recluse just talking to you!”

Cassie made a disgusted face at the “short and black” remark but decided to not comment on it. She also decided not to argue with Kelli. As much as Cassie hated to admit it, her roommate was right. She had been working non-stop since the semester started. She had to maintain at least a 3.0 GPA in order to keep her academic scholarship and, since the scholarship covered everything but books, she had to hold down two jobs (both on campus work-study positions) to pay for them and any other incidentals she would need. A break would do her some good. She borrowed a dress from Kelli but refused to wear the heels she suggested. “Uh-uh! I’m not walking across campus in heels! I don’t want to fuck up my toes tryna be cute. I ain’t tryna get hammer toes!"

When they arrived at the party Cassie immediately regretted her decision to go. The party was loud—the music could be heard blocks away—and there were people spilling out onto the front lawn of the frat house. Cassie let out a loud “ew” at the sight of a girl puking into the grass while her friend drunkenly babbled reassurances to her. The inside wasn't any better. The house was twice as packed. The floor was sticky from what Cassie hoped was spilled soda. The large number of people made the temperature in the house nearly unbearable and to make things worse there was a strong musty odor that hung in the air. Cassie wasn’t sure if some of the patron’s deodorant sweated off in all the excitement or if they simply refused to put any on. Either way, the stench was too great and Cassie made a beeline for the exit.

Kelli followed behind her and grabbed her arm to stop her. “You can’t leave! We just got here,” she shouted over the throbbing music.

“Unh-Uh! Do you smell that? It smells like hot ass in there! I’m afraid of inhaling that, Kelli!”

“Okay, I admit this party is a little more…blergh…than I’m used to but I swear as soon as we get a couple of beers in you, you won’t give a shit.”

Cassie’s ears perked up at the mention of alcohol. “Are they free?”

“Of course! It’s a frat party not a bar! C’mon!” Kelli grabbed Cassie’s arm and dragged her back inside. Cassie held her breath as they tried to navigate through the sea of people. Every so often a guy would grab one of their wrists or elbows forcing the girls to stop and struggle to free themselves from the guy’s grasp before heading toward the stairs of the house. Cassie waited at the base while Kelli climbed the stairs to look out amongst the throng of people to find the kitchen that would, no doubt, be housing the liquor. “There,” Kelli called out pointing to a corner that the girls had both passed before running down the stairs, grabbing Cassie’s hand, and once again pulling her through the musty crowd. The girls giggled as they quickly downed their first beer.

Greg fanned his hand in front of his nose as he waded through the crowd. “Y’all some funky motherfuckers,” he called out at random people as continued to push through them and headed for the kitchen. Once inside the kitchen, he pulled a can of air freshener from a cabinet and sprayed it in the direction of the doorway. He took a deep inhale and coughed at the odd mixture of the floral scent of the freshener and the ever lingering musk of the crowd. “Goddamn these people stank!”

“Yep,” one of his frat brother, Tony, agreed. “I had to step outside twice in the last ten minutes! Next party we gonna have a mandatory ‘must wear deodorant’ policy. Funk motherfuckers gots to go!”

Greg chuckled. “I hear that.” He sprayed another layer of the freshener before placing the can on the countertop behind him. “This party is getting out of control, ain’t it? I don’t remember ever having one this rowdy before. We gonna get shut down.”

“Nah, it’s cool. Tyrell paid off the campus police. We have until midnight before they start responding to complaints.”

“Word? It pays to have a senator’s son in the frat!” The men laughed and slapped palms. Greg continued laughing as he started to refill his cup of beer. The smile faded when only a tiny stream came out of the tap. “Yo, man! Keg’s empty. We got another one around?”

“Nah. Kenny went to go get some. He left like five minutes ago, though.”

“Fuck! Now I gotta be sober while I deal with these musty assholes in here? Who the son of bitch that took the last of it?”

“I dunno, dude. Some girl,” Tony said with a shrug of his shoulders. “I think she went out back.” Tony looked through the window and pointed when he spotted the girl. “There she is talking to Cole.”

Out of curiosity, Greg peered out of the window. He let out a smile when he saw Cassie sitting next to Kelli and tossing her head back in laughter at something Cole said before taking a sip of beer. “Thanks man,” Greg said as he placed his red plastic cup on the counter next to the can of air freshener before eagerly heading outside. He tucked his palms into his pocket as he cautious walked up behind Cassie. “I knew you couldn’t stay away.”

Cassie turned around to face the voice talking over her. She rolled her eyes when she saw Greg’s smiling face. “Goddammit! I was hoping I wouldn’t run into you!”

“Sure you were,” he said sarcastically. “You know couldn’t stay away from all this, girl.” He gave her that coy smile of his but Cassie only soured her face at it.

She leaned back in the lawn chair she was sharing with Kelli so that she could get a better view of his face. “Trust me, dude. I am dead set on keeping myself as far away as possible from whatever…,” she gestured towards his body with her hand, “all that is!”

Greg put his hand over his heart in mock offense. “Girl, you hurting me! I don’t know why you’re being so mean! All I want is to ask for a dance.”

“A dance? You walked your ass from wherever the hell you was to ask me to dance?”

“Yup. Just one teeny, tiny dance. One song. No commitment. I mean, unless, of course, you like my moves and want a second dance.”

Cassie pressed her lips together to resist smiling at him. He was so cute looking down at her with those big brown eyes and long lashes. He was flashing that smile of his again. Cassie hadn’t noticed before but he had a gap in his front teeth that made him even more adorable. She could feel her reserve begin to crack. No. She wouldn’t give in so easily. She wouldn’t be fooled by a pair of nice eyes and a sweet smile. Not again. “Why are you so persistent? There gotta be at least a hundred other girls here that you could ask to dance? Why you just gotta dance with me?”

“Because…I don’t like any of the other girls. I like you. And I prefer to dance with people I like.”

Cassie grimaced and sucked her teeth. “You like me,” she nearly spat the words out. “You don’t even know me.”

Greg wouldn’t be dissuaded from either the scowl on her face or the unpleasantness of her tone. Instead he absentmindedly licked his lips and extended his hand. “I’m tryna, girl,” he said softly. “Just let a brother get in one dance.”

Cassie was about to slap his hand away but Kelli pulled her close and whispered to her, “It’s just a dance, Cassie. It’s not a marriage proposal. Plus, he’s really cute!”

“Yeah,” Cassie whispered back. “Those are the ones you got to watch out for.”

“Ugh. Look, you came here to have fun. What could be more fun than dancing with a hot guy? C’mon…‘let a brother get in one dance.’”

Cassie let out a light chuckle. “Okay,” she relented. She turned to Greg. “Okay,” she repeated before adding, “Just one dance and then you leave me the hell alone.” She placed her hand in his and Greg didn’t bother hiding his excitement.

“That’s what I’m talking about, girl!” He helped her off the chair and cuffed her dainty wrist in his large hand as he gently pulled her back into the house and to the middle of the makeshift dance floor.

The room was still sweltering and that strong stench was still present but the duo ignored it. J-Kwon’s “Tipsy” began to play and Cassie rocked her shoulders to the beat and shuffled from left to right as the catchy tune played. “That’s it? That’s all you gonna do,” Greg joked as he bounced to the beat. “I only get three and a half minutes of your time and you ain’t even gonna throw it back on a brother or something.”

“Oh, you wish I threw it back on you!”

“I really do,” he said with a chuckle. He puckered his lips and danced around her in a circle. “I know you feeling this, girl!” Cassie pressed her lips together again to resist laughing at him but after a few more moments of continued dancing like this she finally gave in and laughed aloud. Greg stopped moving when he saw her laugh. “I knew I could get you to loosen up, girl. Now, c’mere! You wasting a good song.” She laughed again and they both bounced along to the song with the rest of the crowd. Soon the song turned into Juvenile’s “Slow Motion.” Greg wiped the sweat from his brow and said, “Okay. I promised one dance and I’m a man of my word.

Cassie let out a heavy sigh before saying, “Maybe we can have a second one.”

Greg playfully cupped his ear and leaned in to her. “What was that? The music’s so loud I couldn’t hear you. You said something about a second dance? But that can’t be right because that would mean that you like me.”

She gently pushed him. “I admit to nothing. I’m just trying to let a brother get a dance.” He chuckled at her comment and they resumed dancing together. They continued dancing through the rest of the song and the following three. With each song that played Cassie found herself loosening up more and more. Cassie, however, wasn’t sure if this was a good thing or not.

The longer they danced, the more she found herself getting lost in Greg. She ignored the pounding in her head from the loud music blasting throughout the house and the sweat inching down her brow and back. Instead, she closed her eyes and enjoyed the feeling of Greg’s arms firmly wrapped around her stomach and his warm breath dancing against her ear—even in the midst of the ever rising temperature. She curved her ass into his crotch and ground against him. She heard him groan in her ear as she did so. She felt his dick harden and poke against her yet she didn’t stop pressing against him. The heat and the reggae beat of Chaka Demus & Pliers’ “Murder She Wrote” worked as an intoxicant that she couldn’t resist.

She found herself letting out a moan at the feeling of his erection pressing against her. She gave into the way his hands slowly traveled across her stomach. His thumb grazed her arm causing the hair on it to rise. She could feel her nipples harden and her underwear dampen with each rhythmic bounce of her hips to the music. She had never wanted someone as badly as she wanted him in that moment; and when he whispered her name in her ear she responded by turning around and kissing him. The act was completely out of character for her but her desire pushed her forward. She was surprised that she wasn’t concerned about the prying eyes of the surrounding partygoers or of any potential gossip her actions might incur. She only cared about the feeling of his full lips pressed against hers; about how tightly he had pulled her tiny frame closer to his; about how his large hands freely roamed down her back and stopped inches above her ass. If they weren’t presently surrounded by people she might have given into him right there.

The only thing that stopped her from giving into her lust that night was Kelli’s annoying drunken behavior. She had gotten into a fight with Cole’s ex-girlfriend—who was equally as drunk—and nearly got her ass handed to her. Cole’s ex had slapped Kelli so hard that she fell to the ground. It took Kelli a few moments to balance herself before rising in a mixture of anger and embarrassment and tossing a heel at the girl’s head. Cole pulled the girl out of the flying footwear’s path and it hit the kitchen window instead causing it to crack but not shatter. The incident got Kelli—and by association, Cassie—permanently banned from the house and any future parties. Cassie was actually grateful for the whole ordeal. This way she wouldn’t be tempted to go to another party, to dance like she had, to give into that desire that she was so sure had laid dormant within her. Except she forgot one important thing: Greg knew where she worked.

He came strutting into the cafeteria with that coy smile of his plastered on his face and Kelli’s strappy silver heel twirling in a hand. “This is the third time I came in here today looking for you,” he told her. His sudden appearance uneased her. Before her disinterest in him made it easy for her to play it cool but now she felt a funny mixture of embarrassment and arousal well up in her. She didn’t know whether to run or kiss him and the fact that she was so confused annoyed her. She grabbed the heel from him and opened her mouth to speak but she wasn’t sure what to say. She wanted to apologize for her behavior; to blame it on the alcohol even though she only had two beers and was far from a lightweight. Yet before she could even fathom a sentence Greg said, “So…this Friday there’s a movie playing in the quad—The Fly I think—we should go. And before you say ‘no’ it’s just a movie. I’m not trying to finish what we started Friday—although, I ain’t gonna lie to you, I would love to—but for right now, a brother’s just tryna watch a movie with a pretty girl. So say ‘yes.’” Cassie grinned before agreeing with a soft yes.


	21. Café Au Lait

Cassie sniffled and pulled her long coat tighter against her as she made her way through the crowd. It was late September and the London weather had just turned chilly. No, “chilly” was too pleasant a word. It was freezing. It was only fall but the constant downpour for the last week straight plus the high wind chills made the weather unbearable. Each step she took made her regret ever moving to the city. To top that off, she had gotten lost.

She had forgotten the name of the street to get off the Underground and ended up nearly twenty minutes away from her destination. Luckily she had recognized the location and figured she could make her way to the café she was to meet Tom. Unluckily, she had underestimated the temperature. “Good ole London town my ass,” she grumbled as she marched down the crowded streets. Her cell buzzed in her jeans and she paused to answer it. “Hey, babe.”

“Hey,” Tom answered, “where are you?”

“Um… I’m about five minutes out.”

“Did you get stuck in traffic?”

“Traffic? No. I walked.”

“Walked,” he repeated; there was a bit of annoyance in his tone. “Cas, I told you I don’t like you walking about the city alone. Why didn’t you queue a taxi?”

“Because I still haven’t figured out y’all’s money yet. I mean how much is a pound anyway? And a pence? What the hell is that? Is that a penny?”

Tom chuckled. “Cas—“

“Besides,” she interrupted, “I know how cabs do foreigners. They’ll take one listen of my accent and take my ass the long way round every time. Then I’ll end up paying, like, $50 for a $20 ride. Fuck that, dude. I’d much rather just get lost and—“

“Whoa, whoa, whoa. Lost?” Cassie mentally kicked herself for blurting that fact out. She was about to defend herself but Tom quickly scolded her, “See? This is  _exactly_  why I don’t want you traipsing about the city!”

“I’m not sure ‘traipse’ is the right word,” she said with a laugh but Tom didn’t join her. Even though she couldn’t see him she was sure he is face was soured in agitation. “Look, don’t yell at me, okay? It wasn’t so bad. I just… I’ll tell you about it when I get to this place. Don’t be mad.” She ended the call then quickly followed the other pedestrians across the street. A strong wind blew causing her to shiver and curse as she made her way to the café.

When she finally arrived, she was glad to find the temperature inside to be a bit warmer. The café was packed. Cassie stood at the entrance surveying the place in hopes of finding Tom. She thought she spotted him a few tables down but was wrong.  _Damn! There’s too many tall, skinny white boys to search through._  She pulled out her cell and was about to call him when it rang. “Where are you? This place is like a jungle.”

“I’m in the booth on the right.” Tom watch as she looked down the row of seating. “A little further to the back. That’s it.” When he saw her finally spot him he waved her down. He jumped out of the booth as she made her way to him.

“Oh my god,” she said as they embraced. “Do you know how many dudes look just like you?”

He held her tighter and buried his face atop her curls. “I doubt it, my pretty one. I’m an original.” He kissed the top of her head and released her. “One of a kind.”

“Yeah, well,” she began as she took a seat across from him, “I spotted at least four of your copies just today. So…” He chuckled at the comment before taking a sip of his coffee. “What you get?”

“Um, double mocha with a splash of milk. I was going to order you one but then I remembered you hated mocha.”

“Yeah. Can’t stand the stuff. Too bitter. I like my chocolate sweet like me.”

Tom smiled and flagged the waitress down. She nodded and raised a finger then returned to the customers she was currently attending. Tom took another sip of his drink and watched Cassie shiver and hug her coat tighter. “Cas, it’s not that cold out.”

“Easy for you to say. You didn’t just spend twenty minutes out there.”

“You didn’t have to if you had just followed my instructions and taken the Underground to—“

“I followed them! But I got off on the wrong stop. It was an accident, Thomas. They happen.”

“Yes but you’re still new to this city. I hate thinking about you traipsing about—“

“There you go with that word again.“

“—completely at the mercy of foreigners. I love this town but, Cas, you must be careful.”

“I know,  _dad_ ,” she replied with an eye roll.

Tom ignored her act of annoyance and smirked. “Ooh. Cas, you know I love when you call me ‘daddy.’ Say it again.”

She chuckled and shook her head in response. “Sometimes,” she said with a sniffle. “I wish your fans knew how truly perverted you are.”

“Only you know that side of me, my dear.”

“He says as if he was a virgin when we met.”

He gave his signature “ehehe” laugh and again studied her as she sniffled and rubbed the tip of her nose with her gloved hand. “It really isn’t that cold, darling.” She cut her eyes at him and Tom knew he was in store for a curt remark. So he quickly added, “But, come, give me your hands.”

“Why,” she warily asked.

“You’ll see.”  She placed her gloved hands in his bare palms. Tom began to carefully remove one glove. “Don’t!”

“I’m trying to help warm you, love. Trust me.” She relaxed and allowed him to continue removing her glove. When it was off, he massaged her hand between his palms. “Wow. Your hands are freezing.”

“Told you.”

“You did,” he chuckled. “I apologize. Here.” He gently pressed his thin lips to her fingertips. He kissed across them then down her palm and wrist. “How’s that?”

“Well…. I’m definitely getting a bit warm.”

Tom chuckled and grabbed her other hand. He removed the glove and kissed it as his did its twin. “How’s that, love? Are you getting any warmer?”

“Very much so.” Cassie giggled as he continued kissing her hands. Every now and then he’d let the tip of his tongue flick the creases of her palm before resuming his gentle pecks. “I know what you’re doing, Thomas,” she said before biting her lip.

“I’m just making sure my girlfriend is comfortable. That’s all.” He smirked then resumed kissing.

“Sure. Sure.” She kicked off a shoe and moved her bare foot up his leg.

“Now what are  _you_  doing, my darling?”

“I’m must making sure my boyfriend is uncomfortable,” she mocked.

“Don’t start anything, Cassandra, that you’re not going to finish.” She grinned mischievously and continued moving her foot upward. “Cassandra,” he warned.

“Thomas,” she mocked. Her foot found its way to his crotch.

“C-Cas,” he stuttered out, “behave. There are people around.”

She continued rubbing against his crotch. “I don’t recall you saying that last week when you,” she lowered her voice, “when you fingered me in the middle of that restaurant.”

“That… that was just a bit of fun, darling.” He squeezed her hands between his and gently bit on a knuckle. “This… is torture.” He tried to take a couple of calming breaths but Cassie was relentless. He could feel himself growing hard as her foot massaged his cock. “Plus,” he swallowed hard, “that was evening. It’s too early to… to…”

“To what,” she asked with a wicked grin. She briefly wondered if she could make him ruin those nice pair of jeans he wore. He reached under the table and grabbed her foot. The smile on her lips broadened. “What’s the matter, baby? Can dish it out but can’t take it, huh?”

“I warned you not to start anything—“

“That I wasn’t gonna finish. Scoot over.” He started to question her but she held up a hand as she rose from her spot and removed her coat. Tom moved closer to the curve of the booth’s couch and she took the offered space. She draped her coat across their laps then rested her hand on his crotch. She slowly pulled down his zipper and reached inside.

“Cas, don’t—“

“Do you remember,” she began while running her fingers down his erect cock, “what you said to me at the restaurant?”

“N-no,” he answered between shaky breaths.

“You said you loved watching me trying to keep my composure in a public space.”

“Yes, but—“

“So why can’t I enjoy the same thing?” She pulled his cock out then gently squeezed the tip causing more of the pre-cum to ooze out. She rolled her thumb around it then rubbed it down his length. Tom resisted closing his eyes and giving into the feeling of her hand slowly moving back and forth on his cock. “Mmm, baby,” she whispered in his ear, “can you imagine if this wasn’t my hand on you right now. What if it was my mouth wrapped around you instead? Can’t you just picture your cock in my mouth while I’m giving you the sloppiest suck up you’ve ever had?”

He  _could_  picture it. He could see her before him with her full lips wrapped around his pale cock. Her dark eyes looking up at him almost lovingly as drool hung around the corners of her mouth. He could almost hear the slurping sounds. He could practically feel the vibration from her moans around his length. He could even almost feel her silky curls on his fingertips as her grabbed the back of her head and fucked her face. “Don’t…. don’t torture me like this, Cas!”

“Baby, if wanted to torture you I’d do this.” She licked the outer shell of his ear then nibbled on it. “Imagine having me bent over one of these booths. Ass out…. Your hand pulling my hair…” She wiggled in the seat. “I’m actually getting a bit wet thinking about it.” He growled at the image while she continued kissing down his neck.

How he would love to fuck her right here in front of everyone. He would love to fuck her in every possible position on every inch of surface in the café. He would love to have her on her back on the table before him. Her legs resting on his shoulders as he repeatedly slammed into her; his hands around her throat; her moans squeaking out of her. God, he could almost feel her warm, velvet walls pulsing around his cock as she came. He’d finish inside her and she’d moan again at the feeling of being filled with his seed. Then he’d watch in fascination as it seeped out of her and landed on the floor. “Good girl,” he would say before licking her clean.

The very thought made him buck his hips upward. He wanted her. “Goddammit, Cas, you win!”

“Oh, darling,” she whispered into his neck, “I haven’t won until you’ve come.” She moved her hand around his cock faster now.

“These—fuck!—these are new jeans.”

She giggled and shrugged her shoulders. “I know. I bought them for you, remember? I’ll buy you a new pair.” She was about to bite his neck again when the waitress finally came.

“Sorry ‘bout that. What can I get you?”

Tom thought that Cassie would stop her torture once the waitress arrived but he was wrong. She kept moving her hand at the same pace. He muttered a curse under his breath as he tried to maintain his composure. “Um,” Cassie said, “what’s good here?”

“Oh, that’s a cute accent, love. Where you from?”

“Thank you! I’m from the States. Southern part.”

Tom could nearly scream. He really regretted ever messing with her last week. He forgot how his pretty little Cassie loved her revenge. Here he was an inch away from orgasm while she was making small talk! “Goddammit, Cas, just order something!” His elevated tone caused a few of the other patrons to look in their direction. “S-sorry,” he stumbled out. “Just o-order something please. So we can get back to our c-conversation.”

“Don’t be rude, Thomas,” she replied in a faux scolding voice. (Really she was enjoying seeing him trying to fight moaning way too much.) “You’ll get to finish when I do,” she smirked. She turned to the waitress. “What’s good on the menu?” Tom banged his fist on the table then rested his head in his palm. He rapidly bounced his knee as Cassie feigned interest in the daily special. Her face was serene but her hand moved manically up and down his cock. He wasn’t going to be able to hold out much longer. Damn her! “Ooh, did you hear that, Thomas,” Cassie asked in reply to some item that waitress just informed her of. “Wouldn’t that be nice to get something hot and warm right now?” Her grin broaden in pride at her double entendre.

Tom, however, was anything but happy. The words brought back the previous images of having her in the café. He could see the meat on her ass reverberating as fucked her from behind. He could hear her moans echoing off the walls. He could see the way her eyes rolled in the back of her head as she came. That did it! He couldn’t hold off his orgasm any longer.

He clutched the edge of the table with one hand. The other banged twice on the top before he covered his face with it. He coughed in hopes that it would cover the loud groan that usually escaped when he came but it didn’t. The sound caused some more customers to look his way.

“Sir,” the waitress asked, “are you okay?” Tom nodded he was but his face proved otherwise. His cheeks were flushed red and his eyes were wet with frustrated tears.  “Are-are you sure?”

“He’s sure,” Cassie answered for him. “He’s just a bit… flustered.” Tom shot her a dirty look but she only laughed at it. She turned back to the waitress. “You know what? On second thought, I’m not even that hungry. I’ll just, uh… I’ll take a regular black coffee to go.” The waitress hurriedly scribbled down the order and walked to another table.

“You don’t play far, Cassandra,” Tom said as he leaned back in his seat and adjusted his cock back into his jeans.

“You chose the game, babe.” She pecked him on the cheek. “I’m just playing by your rules.” She looked around the café and saw the other people had returned their focus to their own matters. “You got my hand dirty,” she said as she carefully raised it from under her coat.

“ _You_ got your hand dirty,” he corrected as he reached for a napkin.

“I ought to make you lick it clean,” she joked.

Tom raised a brow and gave her a toothy grin. “If you insist, my love.” Before she could protest, Tom brought her hand to his mouth and began sucking his come off her fingers.

Cassie exhaled a surprised gasp as she again looked around the room. Tom licking either his or her come off either of their hands wasn’t anything new to her—he had done it hundreds of times before; yet she didn’t want any prying eyes seeing him doing it publically. Luckily, the patrons were still deep in their own conversations. Cassie focused back on Tom and smiled. “Whatever am I gonna do with you, boy,” she playfully asked while watching him roll his tongue around her middle finger then sucking it into his mouth.

He pulled her finger out, licked his lips, and then cleaned the rest of her hand with a napkin. “Just… Love me I suppose.”

“Done.”

“You know,” he said as he grabbed a fresh napkin and resumed wiping her hand clean, “when we get home I’m going to get you back for today, right?”

“Yep,” she chuckled. “And you know I’m gonna get you back for getting me back, right?”

He tossed the napkin on the table then placed a lingering kiss on her forehead. He pulled back and looked into her eyes and said with a wink, “Darling, I’m counting on it.”


	22. Aftermath Alternate Ending

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got a prompt on my tumblr that asked me to write an alternate ending to one of my fics. I chose Aftermath. This is it. Enjoy!

“I can’t do this.”

It took a second for the words to register in Tom’s ear but when they did his heart began to race. He leaned back so that he could look into her eyes. “Wh-what did you just say?”

Cassie sniffled and rubbed her nose before looking away. She wasn’t sure she’d be able to repeat it if she had to gaze into his eyes. “I can’t do this.”

“What,” Tom asked again in disbelief. He felt as if all the oxygen had been sucked out of the room and he was slowly dying. “Don’t say that. Please,” his voice waivered.

“I’m not trying to hurt you Tom. I swear. But…” her voice trailed off. There was no way to say what she was about to without hurting him. How do you end a relationship without someone getting hurt? It was impossible. She rose from the bed and pulled up her underwear. “I think it would be best if we just end this here.”

“What? With-with-with…” he swallowed the lump growing in his throat. “You can’t just say you’re finished, Cassie! Not after everything we’ve been through.” She didn’t look at him as she adjusted her clothes and reached for her shoes. Tom grabbed her hand and gently pulled her back to the bed. “Look at me, Cas.”

“No,” she replied with a gentle shake of her head.

“Cas,” he cusped her chin with his index and thumb then turn her to face him, “Look at me, Cassie.” She lifted her eyes. Water hung in them; threatening to fall at the slightest provocation. Tom felt a pang in his chest. If it was possible, and if she’d let him, he would kiss away her pain. If he could remove any doubt in him—in  _them_ —he would do it in a heartbeat. Yet there was something in her eyes. Something resolute. Something that told him that might just fall on deaf ears. But he was persistent and in love. He wouldn’t give up. Not now. Not when he finally had her so near again. “Baby, please don’t do this. Don’t leave me again.”

“I…” The words hung in her throat. Hesitation. Or maybe cowardice? Cassie closed her eyes and when she did the water in them fell down the curve of her cheek. She felt Tom brush them away with his thumb. So tender. So sweet. Yet she couldn’t allow herself to be swayed by this. Not again. Not if she was going to effectively change her pattern. If she didn’t say it now then she’d be back here in four months hating herself again. “Tom…” She pulled his hand from and face, kissed it, then rose. She turned from him and stared out the hotel window. It would be easier for both of them if she didn’t have to look at him. One glance at those expressive eyes and she’d be a wreck. “Tom… I…” She shuddered and held onto her shoulders. Her tears were still falling and now a full-blown sob was catching in her throat. She couldn’t push it away so she gave into it. “I can’t.”

Tom rose and laid his hands over hers. “Then don’t, Cas.”

She jerked away from him and walked closer to the window. Surely some distance would help, right? “I can’t,” her voice shook as she spoke between her cries. “I can’t… keep doing this. I can’t keep making the same mistakes. That’s… that’s not how you learn.”

“Mistake? No, no, no, Cas. I  _was_  a mistake,” he corrected. “But not anymore. You forgave me, remember? I love you.”

She looked at him now. “And I love you,” she assured him. “But I-I…” Her eyes landed on the bed behind him. She sniffled and wiped away her tears. “We’re back where we started.”

“I don’t understand. Isn’t that a good thing?”

“No!” Her voice was much calmer now; yet her tears still fell. She wiped her nose with the back of her hand and continued, “We tried to start a relationship on sex and it ended badly. We ruined the good thing that we had when we were friends. And now,” she signaled to the bed with a nonchalant wave of her hand, “we’re back at it again. We’re only gonna be in the same place we were months from now.”

“No, Cas. No.” He stepped towards her but she held up her hand to keep him back. “Cas, baby, we’re different now.”

“Are we? Tell me what’s changed in the last eight months? Hmm? Because from what I can see… ain’t much.”

“ _I’ve_  changed. I love you, Cas. Doesn’t that count for something?”

Cassie desperately wanted to give him the assurance that he longed to hear but she couldn’t. “No,” she softly replied. The word visibly wounded him. He opened his mouth to speak but only managed a weak gasp. He felt as if the floor would open any minute and swallow him up. God he wanted it to. Falling to the ninth circle of Hell would be better than the pain he was currently suffering. “I’m not trying to hurt you but…” Her eyes darted from left to right as she tried to find the right words. “But I’m so… terrified,” she confessed.

“’Terrified?’ O-of me?” His eyes burned as tears began to well.

She nodded. “I’m terrified that you’ll hurt me again. That all these ‘I love yous’ are just… sweet nothings. That I’m just filler for your lonely nights.”

“No, no, no, Cas.” He ignored her earlier request and walked towards her. He tried to hold her but she maneuvered out of his way. “Cassie, please. You’re not—“

She waved her hands to silence him again. “No. I don’t want to hear it. Because whatever you’re about to say will sound so sweet and I’ll end up changing my mind. Then I’ll end up hating myself all over again because we  _will_  be back here. Fucking and fighting and hurting. I can’t keep doing this, you understand?” She reached for her bags.

“No!” He grabbed the bags from her.

“Tom, give me my things.”

“No!”

“Please, Tom. This is already hard enough as is.”

“I’m not letting you leave! I’m not letting you end us! We can make it work! Please… I love you.”

She walked up to him and caressed the side of his face. “I know you do.” Before he could respond again, she planted a soft kiss on his lips. Tom had been kissed by her thousands of times yet he knew this one was different. This was the last one. He wanted to embrace her and deepen it but fought it. It would only exacerbate the torture if he had a taste of that passion then had it ripped from him forever. This was hard enough. Letting her go was hard enough. Instead he closed his eyes—causing the water in them to tear—and tried to not think about how he would never be this close to her again.

She finally broke the kiss and they silently stood staring at one another. “I can change, Cas.” He knew his words would change nothing but he had to try.

“Maybe. But change takes time. And I… I can’t risk anymore time and emotional energy waiting however long for that to happen.” She wiped his tears away; her own eyes were still red and wet. “I know you’ll be a better man for the next girl.” She grabbed her bags from him. She kissed his cheek and said, “Goodbye, Thomas.”

Tom watched with a heavy heart as she walked out the door. Closing it on the remains of their failed relationship and, more importantly, on him. “Goodbye, Cas,” he whispered to the empty room. He fell back on the bed, buried his face in a pillow, and cried.


	23. Girl Talk

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is just a silly lil one shot to help me get back into the writing mood. It’s not my best work, I’ll admit, but it was fairly fun to get out. The ending is blah and very sudden so I might come back and add to it later when I figured out a stronger one. Or I might edit it and add it to their main fic. Anyway enjoy!

It was a warm summer evening. For the first time in over a year, Cassie was back in her hometown of Shreveport, Louisiana. One of her close friends, Amanda, was getting married and had asked Cassie to be one of her bridesmaids. Cassie eagerly accepted and cleared her schedule—even though it wasn’t very packed to begin with—for the special occasion. It was now two days before the big event and the girls—Amanda, Cassie, Desiree, and Jai’lisa—were quietly reclining in the living room of Amanda’s small apartment. She had decided against going big for her bachelorette party for two reasons: one, due to a long ago fall out with her parents she was financing the affair with her own funds and had to save on incidentals; two, she had recently become a born-again Christian and, therefore, eschewed the usual revelry that often proceeded weddings.

If this wedding had taken place just a year ago, by now the quartet would be clicking through the online Yellow Pages for a half-decent strip club. The search would be difficult because Jai’lisa and Cassie would only attend clubs with female dancers, Amanda—the pickiest of the group—would only attend clubs with male dancers and were high end (i.e., had the highest entrance fees and probably charged six dollars for a glass of water), and Desiree would probably avoid going all together. (She worked at a particularly shady one to help finance her undergrad degree—her financial aid fell short thousands of dollars—and hated every minute of it. The money was nice (and greatly helped pay for tuition fees and books) but her boss and many of the patrons were absolute terrors who were also the cheapest fucks ever birthed. For these reasons, the very mention of a strip club would be enough to set her teeth on edge.)

Their other option would be trying to find a decent regular club but the four woman had collectively agreed that they had outgrown them. It was no longer fun waiting in a line for hours just to get into an over packed building where the drinks were always overpriced. Then there was the horror of suffering with an out-of-touch DJ who could neither read the crowd nor produce a decent remix to dance off of. It would be easier to purchase multiple bottles of liquor from a store, as well as an abundance of cheap snacks from Wal-Mart, and listen to their iPods on shuffle. Which, ultimately, is what they decided to do.

Amanda sat comfortably on the carpeted floor in front of her couch. A bowl of caramelized popcorn sat between her thick thighs. Every so often she would alternate between munching on a handful of the snack and tossing some into Jai’lisa’s mouth. Jai’lisa was lazily drooped across a small armchair. One of her long legs carelessly dangled over the arm while she channel surfed. Every so often she’d stop on a movie or show that had caught her interest but never for long. Soon she’d return to flipping through the three-hundred plus stations while monotonously repeating, “Pop me,” to Amanda when she wanted some more popcorn.

Cassie and Desiree shared Amanda’s couch. Cassie popped a mini marshmallow into her mouth before stretching her short legs out the length of the furniture. She used her cousin Desiree’s thighs as a pillow. Desiree, completely used to her younger cousin’s relaxation methods, didn’t complain. Instead she stole a handful of marshmallows from the bag resting on Cassie’s stomach and snacked on them.

The quartet sat quietly watching the blinking television screen. After a few more passing moments, Desiree suddenly said, “Y’all know what we should do? We should make ghetto s’mores.”

Amanda turned around and asked, “What?”

“Ghetto s’mores,” Desiree repeated. “We already got the marshmallows.”

“Yo, I’m with it,” Cassie chimed in as she uprighted herself again. “Jai, didn’t you grab some graham crackers?”

“Yeah. They’re in the kitchen with the rest of the stuff.”

“Cool.” Cassie hopped to her feet and, without a second hesitation, headed straight for the kitchen with the bag of mini marshmallows in tow.

“Didn’t we grab some chocolate too,” Desiree questioned as she, too, rose and followed her cousin. “I don’t think it’s Hershey’s though.”

Amanda looked at Jai’lisa, who seemed to have finally found something that captured her full attention. “Nah,” Jai’lisa called after her two friends as she carefully tossed the remote onto the round coffee table that sat (too) close to the couch. “I think it’s like Snickers or some shit.” She rose and headed for the kitchen but paused mid-step and looked back at Amanda. “C’mon, Mandy.”

Amanda lifted off the floor with a grunt. “Am I the only one who don’t know what ghetto s’mores are?”

“They’re just like regular s’mores but instead of cooking them over a campfire you make them in your kitchen. Like with your stove or microwave or whatever,” Jai’lisa explained.  

“How,” Amanda inquired as she entered the kitchen. Cassie and Desiree were already busy digging through the plenteous bags of junk food.

“Well,” Cassie said while pulling out a bag of Reese’s cups, “you gotta have the marshmallows and graham crackers.”

“That’s a must,” Desiree chimed in as she pulled down a stack of plates from the overhead cabinet.

“Yep,” Cassie agreed. “But the chocolate can be anything you got—Reese’s, Snickers, Kisses, fucking jelly beans. Or you can just pass on the chocolate all together.” She turned to Desiree and asked, “‘Member that summer we made some with just the marshmallows and crackers cause Sean ate all the damn chocolate?”

“Yeah. Them shits were good as fuck too. But I’m still highkey a lil’ pissed that boy tore through three Hershey bars by himself.”

“Me too,” Cassie said but her lips held a faint smile. In truth, the girls new better than to let Sean hold the bag of candy on their trek home from the neighborhood corner store. His sweet tooth was more infamous than Cassie’s. While the young girls laughed and chatted, he gleefully ripped into the chocolate. They were upset, of course. Especially since they had just spent the last of their allowance on the candy. Luckily for Sean, the girls didn’t hold a grudge. (Being angry wouldn’t un-eat the chocolate, now would it?) Instead they chose to spend the remainder of the afternoon in front of the television eating whatever was left of the snacks.

“Shit.” The sound of Jai’lisa’s voice tore Cassie from her pleasant memory. When she looked in the direction of her friend, she saw Jai’lisa struggling to open a new bag of mini marshmallows.

“Just use those fucking goat teeth,” Cassie joked. “They’ll tear right through that.”

The other girls laughed but Jai’lisa was not amused. Instead she flipped off her friend before adding, “Maybe I’ll just smack it that big ass forehead of yours until it pops.”

The other girls continued to laugh as Cassie gasped and rubbed her forehead. “Why you always gotta go to the head, Jai?”

“Cause you stay starting shit, Cas!”

Cassie playfully sucked her teeth. “No, I don’t! I’m a sweet, lil’ angel.” The rest of the women disagreed via loud groans and overlapping remarks. “Y’all ain’t shit! Y’all know damn well outta all four of us I’m the nicest.”

Jai’lisa rolled her eyes then said, “Bitch, why the fuck is you lyin’? You know goddamn well you stay thugged up.”

“That’s a damn lie!”

“So you just gon act like you weren’t whooping all kinds of ass in junior high and high school?”

“Hol’ up, hol’ up, hol’up! That was different! Folks stayed coming for me. I was just protecting myself. I ain’t never in my life started a fight.”

“Well, that’s true,” Desiree agreed. “But you sure as shit finished them. Y’all remember when she mollywhopped Kyla at homecoming? Shit was funny as hell!”

The entire group fell into a fit of laughter while reminiscing on the event. “Man! I can’t even remember what that bitch said to you,” Amanda said while trying to stifle a giggle, “but all I know is, one minute you were cool and the next those skinny arms were a swinging!”

“Right? She had ol’ girl scared as hell,” Jai’lisa added. “She couldn’t even fight back you was hitting her so quick! My girl was like,” Jai’lisa stepped out of the small kitchen and into the more spacious hallway. She took a boxer stance and held her fists up to her face. Then she punched the air in front of her rapidly. “Ol’ girl tried to get some licks in but my girl ducked that shit,” she bounced twice on her toes then bobbed imaginary throws, “then came back and hit her with that one-two,” more quick jabs, “and ol’ girl was out like night, man.”

The other women applauded her performance. “Brava! Brava,” Amanda shouted.

“Thank you! Oh, thank you,” Jai’lisa replied as she bowed and wiped fake tears from her eyes before returning to the kitchen. “There was nothing funnier than the sound of that bitch’s head hitting the pavement. I can still hear that shit. That bitch’s head said, ‘THUNK!’” Once again the quartet fell over in a rumble of laughter.

“Jai, you a goddamn fool, you know that,” Cassie said as she held her side.

“Yeah and you love me.”

“I do! And your big ass teeth.”

“See? You starting it again! Don’t make me hit you with that one-two, AstroDOME!”

“Oh bring it on, Bugs Bunny!”

The two playfully put up their fists. Before they could fully get into their fake fight, Desiree asked, “Ooh! I wanna be the ref!” She waved a hand toward Jai’lisa and, in her best announcer voice, shouted, “In this corner, weighing in at 165 pounds, all tits and dreads—but mostly teeth—Jai’lisa Kerry Fraiser!” Jai’lisa playfully growled and bear her teeth then raised her arms. Amanda cupped her hands around her mouth and cheered.

“And in this corner,” Desiree continued, “weighing in at 133 pounds, all head and ass—because Lord knows ain’t nothing happening in that chest area…” Cassie sucked her teeth and smacked her cousin’s shoulder. Desiree bit back a laugh and continued, “Cassandra Patricia Greene!” Cassie turned around and popped her butt before returning her friend’s playful growl. “Now fight!” She waved a hand and the two pretended to go at it.

Jai’lisa struck first. She jabbed at the air around her friend’s head. Cassie, being a good sport, pretended to actually feel the hits. She dramatically jerked her head from one side to the next and even stumbled backwards. Jai’lisa tried to get in an extra lick but Cassie ducked then delivered two fake punches to her gut. Jai’lisa, equally a good sport, doubled over in mock pain. Before Cassie could give her another fake hit, Jai’lisa countered with two of her own before finishing with a mock hit to the jaw. Cassie flailed her arms out wide and fell back into the doorframe as if she had been knocked against the ropes.  

Amanda gleefully watched the two while calling out random encouragements (“Kick her ass!” “Get up! Get up!”) to whichever girl was currently “winning.” Meanwhile, Desiree returned to making her s’mores. She rotated between stacking a few Reese’s cups on her graham cracker—followed by a handful of mini marshmallows—and watching her cousin and friend. However, her attention fully shifted once she placed the sweets into the microwave. She set the timer for a few seconds and watched as the marshmallows bubbled then expanded. (It was always her favorite part of microwaving s’mores as a child. Sometimes she wouldn’t even eat the snack; she just loved watching the little fluffy cubes grow.)

The sound of the timer going off caught the attention of the other women. They were no longer in the mood to fake fight; their appetite had taken over. “Ooh, gimme some,” Cassie asked as she watched her cousin take out the plate.

“Damn, girl, I ain’t even got it all the way out and you already begging.”

“Why you trippn’, cuz? You know I stay hungry.” Desiree rolled her eyes and handed her cousin a still hot s’more. Cassie alternated the snack between her palms while blowing on it to cool it down. The she smushed the top further down causing the warm, gooey center to spill over on the side. Her eyes widened with anticipation and delight as she blew on it once more then took a cautious nibble of it. “So good,” she said before taking a bigger bite. When she had finished the entire snack she reached for another and promptly received a hard smack on her hand in return.

“Ol’ greedy ass! They take three seconds to make! Make your own. Shit!” Cassie sucked her teeth and rolled her eyes before grabbing her own plate. The women resumed making their own s’mores and quickly cooked them in the microwave. Afterwards they carried their snacks back to the living room and retook their originals spots.

“Damn, these are so good,” Amanda said as she bit into her fourth s’more.

“Yep,” Jai’lisa agreed. “The only thing that would make these better would be some alcohol.”

“Oh, god yes,” Cassie concurred. “The bottles we bought should be cold by now, huh?” Jai’lisa replied with a big smile before hopping up and returning to the kitchen. Cassie followed close behind. They grabbed two boxes of Mike’s Hard Lemonade and a bottle of Moscato—they left the remaining bottles inside the fridge so they wouldn’t go through them quickly—and some plastic cups then returned to the others.

For the next few minutes they made silly conversation as they ate and drank. “Is there anything better than chocolate and liquor,” Desiree asked before refilling her cup with some Moscato.

“Sex,” Jai’lisa quickly answered.

“I hear that,” Cassie said with a raise of her glass.

“Shit, it’s been so long since I’ve had sex I can’t even remember,” Amanda admitted. She took a small sip of the bottle of Mike’s in her hand.

“How long have you been celibate?”

“Shit…” She clicked her tongue as she mentally counted. “Three and a half years.”

“Shit fuck,” Jai’lisa called out in genuine surprise. “How the fuck did your freak hoe ass survive that long without sex?”

“First of all, Jai, I ain’t no freak hoe.” The other woman mumbled their disagreement causing Amanda to suck her teeth. “Man, forget all y’all!”

“Why is you acting right now,” Cassie asked with a laugh. “I used to _live_ for your sexcapade stories.”

“True,” Desiree added. “I used to be so damn jealous of all the guys you fucked up.”

“Me too,” Cassie said.

“Shit,” Jai’lisa started, “I used to tear up. I was so damn proud of you.”

Amanda could only chuckle in reply. “I did used to have it like that, didn’t I?” She leaned back against the couch and stared at the engagement ring on her finger. She smiled warmly before stating, “But I love me some Bobby though.” Smiles grew on the other women’s faces at the mention of their dear friend’s fiancé. All joking aside, they all were truly excited for her.

Not willing to let the quiet moment sit too long, Jai’lisa said, “So… You gonna put it on him good on the honeymoon or nah?”

“You damn right I am,” Amanda replied while still looking at her ring. “We’re not even Pentecostal but I’ma fuck him so good he’ll start speaking in tongues.”

The women laughed loudly at the bawdy joke. “That’s what I’m talking about,” Jai’lisa exclaimed. As she gulped back the last of her bottle of Mike’s a thought suddenly hit her. “Ooh! You know what would be a fun game to play? Never Have I Ever!”

“Yes! I love that game,” Desiree chirped. “But instead of pennies we’ll play with liquor. You take a drink of you’ve done it.”

“Even better! I’ma go get the bottle of vodka.” Jai’lisa nearly sprinted back to the kitchen. She returned a moment later with the drink and a bottle opener. She sat back in the armchair, a large grin plastered on her lips, and opened the bottle of alcohol. “Everyone gimme your cups.” One by one, the women passed their cups to her and she swiftly filled them then returned them. “Okay,” she said as she poured her cup before putting the remaining liquor on the table in front of her. “I’ll go first. Never have I ever… had sex in public.” Jai’lisa wasn’t surprised to see Amanda drink but seeing Cassie take a small sip made her gasp. “Ooh, Cas! Girl—”

“Uh-uh,” Cassie interrupted. “The rules are to drink not explain. Beside y’all don’t need to be knowing all my business like that anyway.”

Jai’lisa rolled her eyes. “I should have known you’d play the game wrong. Amanda, your turn.”

“Okay. Never….” She clicked her tongue as she tried to think of something. “Oh! Okay, I got one. Never have I ever… had sex with a significant other’s sibling.”

“Damn,” Jai’lisa said before taking a sip.

“Ooh! Jai, you didn’t,” Desiree exclaimed.

“It wasn’t my fault! I was still confused about my sexuality at the time and she was so, so fine. The second I came I was like, ‘Yeah… Lemme quit playin’. I’m a thousand percent gay.’ Desi, your turn.”

“Alright. Never… have I ever… fucked a friend’s ex.” Amanda and Jai’lisa took a drink. “Mandy, I know your story; Jai, what’s yours?”

“Nah. I’m pleading the fifth on that one.” The other women began to protest. “No, no, no! If Cas can not talk about hers then I can too.”

“Well, okay,” Desiree said. “But that’s gonna make for a really boring ass game.”

“True,” Amanda agreed. “How about you can only get three passes? But once they’re gone you have to spill the deets. Cool?” The other women agreed, albeit reluctantly. “Cool. Jai and Cas, y’all already used one so be careful with the rest. Cas, it’s your go now.”

Cassie sat up on the edge of the couch. She bit her bottom lip and her eyes darted around as she tried to come up with a really good example. “Never… have I ever had sex in a church. Or any holy place!” Amanda winced before taking a drink.

“What,” Jai’lisa screamed out. “In a damn church, girl? No wonder your ass is religious now.”

“Fuck that. I want details,” Desiree said. “Who? How? When?”

“Why,” Cassie added.

Amanda sat up straighter on the floor then took another sip from her cup. “It was a friend of my cousin. I was sixteen; he was seventeen. We was really feeling each other but there wasn’t many places we could be alone because his mama…” she rolled her eyes at the memory of the woman, “…she was a damn trip. He was raised Catholic but he wasn’t really practicing. And y’all know I wasn’t particularly religious growing up so I didn’t really care too much about all that stuff. They—well, he—invited me to a service and I went because what else did I have to do, ya know? Plus, I really wanted to see him. We sat in the very back of the church and next thing I know his hand was moving up my thigh. Then he got to talking real slick in my ear and next thing I know he was fingering me in the back pew. Finally, neither of us could take it anymore and he pulled me to some part of the building—I don’t know what it was called—pulled out a rubber and we had sex right there in that room.”

The other women sat in stunned silence. Amanda unabashedly took another sip of her vodka. “W-w-wow,” Desiree finally stuttered out. “Well, shit, was it good?”

“Not in the least. Boy was fine but his stroke game was on zero. I eventually got tired and just faked it so he could stop.” The women laughed and shook their heads at the information.

“That was actually the most blasphemous thing in your story,” Desiree joked. “You never _ever_ fake an O for these dudes. If they can’t take you there ain’t no point in pretending.”

“You got that right,” Cassie said. “Just say no to bad sex. Jai, your turn again.”

“Already? Okay. Never have I ever… ate someone’s ass before!” She looked at Amanda again hoping to hear another story but was, once again, surprised to see Cassie taking a sip. “Oh my fucking god, Cassie! What?”

“Bitch, you out here eating ass in these streets,” Amanda asked.

“Y’all my cousin’s a freak,” Desiree exclaimed; her eyes widened with shock. “When the fuck did this happen?”

“Well, I guess since I didn’t tell the last one I’ll give y’all this,” Cassie sighed. “So, Tom usually likes to do the ass eating in the family. I kept putting it off but I got so curious that I couldn’t anymore and, y’all, that shit was so damn… everything! I was sprung! He’d be like, ‘I wanna eat you,’ and I’d be like, ‘Hell fucking yes!’ then I’d throw that ass in his face. But then I got curious again. I mean, I know what the appeal is for me but like what’s the appeal for him?”

“So you ate that white boy’s booty,” Jai’lisa finished for her.

Cassie nodded her head. “Yes, I did,” she stated proudly. “I put my tongue right up in there. No shame.”

“Well, what it taste like,” Jai’lisa asked.

Before Cassie could respond Desiree answered with: “Creamed corn.”

“Oh my god,” Cassie said before doubling over in laughter. The other women joined in with her. “I hate you so much, Desi!”

For the next thirty minutes the four woman drank, ate, and played the revealing game. Some of the questions didn’t spawn any shocking tales. Jai’lisa’s “…done anal” prompt had all three of her friend’s drinking before they turned the tables on her and asked why she hadn’t tried it at least once with her wife. Cassie’s “…had a threesome” spawned three very interesting and funny tales. (Desiree’s story about how she found herself locked half-naked outside of a then-ex’s apartment in winter as he fought with his then-current girlfriend who had suddenly gotten jealous that he was focusing too much on Desiree beat out the others. Particularly the part where the couple made up on the floor within eyeshot of Desiree and nearly left her to freeze to death.)

Eventually, though, the game had morphed into an unintentional competition between Cassie and Amanda. Amanda had just wowed the crowd with her tale of the time she fucked two brothers in the same day. The first brother, while well endowed, was completely trash in the sack. “But his head game was on fire tho. I’m still upset that dick wasn’t hittin’ on nothing!” The second brother, however, succeeded in giving her multiple orgasms. “That fool had my ass stuttering and shit. A bitch looked like she was possessed. I bet money my head did a 360 while he was up in it!”

However, Cassie bested that story when she answered Jai’lisa’s “…tried bondage” prompt. The girls sat mouth agape as she recounted one of her favorite moments of being tied down by Tom.

“…and then,” Cassie slurred as she choked back a burp; she was now completely shitted, “tears are just falling down my face as he… as he’s spanking my pussy with the crop. Then he gets the dildo again and is just going at me. But! But, but, but that’s not enough! Then! He got the-the-the buzzy thing. Fuck what’s it called?”

“Vibrator,” Desiree reminded her. (This was the third time since the story began that Cassie forgot its name.)

“Right! Thank you! So he grabs that thing and puts it back on my clit. And by now I am just like screaming behind the gag, okay? The rope is cutting into me and… and I am just getting _all_ of my life, okay? I’m just coming over and over and _over_. My body is like, ‘ _Bitch…_ ’ But I’m not ready to tap out yet, ya know? He pulls the gag out and asks me if I’m good. Like he wants my safe word and shit but I’m a G so I’m like, ‘Give it to me, bitch!’ And I am just like,” she tossed back the last of her vodka, “I’m just like… squirting all over the damn floor. Place is a fucking mess, yo. Then finally I’m done. I can’t take no more. I give him the signal and he unties me and shit. But, like, he’s harder than calculus or some shit.”

“Wait,” Jai’lisa interrupted, “y’all still fucked after all that shit?”

“Jai, girl, you ain’t even listening right now. Lemme tell ya, lemme tell ya, okay? Le-can I tell you?” Jai chuckled and nodded her head at her drunk friend. “Bruh’s dick game is on some Olympic level, okay? Of _course_ I fucked him. This dude pinned my legs back like I was… Betty Spaghetti or something and he is just tearing into me. Every part of my body hurt and I was _lovin’_ it, okay? I didn’t come again though. My body was like, ‘Nah, fuck you bitch.’ But it was cool cause one more orgism,” she groaned then corrected herself, “ _orgasm_ —one more would have killed me. Then he came all over my tits and stomach and I was… just… so in love.”

Again the women sat in stunned silence. Yet Cassie was too drunk to notice. Instead she grabbed the bottle of  vodka from the table and carefully—well, as careful as her shaky hands could muster—poured the last of it into her cup. But before she could take a sip, Desiree yelled out, “Oh my god! Your ass done out freaked Amanda!”

“I didn’t even think that was possible,” Jai’lisa added.

“Right?” Desiree turned to Amanda. “Where your Freak Hoe crown at? Go dust it off and put it on this bitch’s head!”

“I thought that pegging story was lit! That shit pales in comparison.”

“Oh my god,” Cassie said with a slight whine. “I really, really miss pegging him!” She grabbed her purse from the floor and dug through it.

“What you looking for, Drunkie,” Desiree asked.

“My phone. I wanna call Tom so I can peg him again. She got frustrated that she couldn’t find it easily and dumped the entire contents on the floor. Desiree spotted the cell and quickly grabbed it before her cousin could. “Hey! Give it back, Desi. I gotta… I gotta call Tom!”

“No! You’re way too wasted.”

“Give it!” She reached for it but Desiree yanked it from her reach.

“No!” Yet her cousin still tried to grab it.

“I say let her call him,” Jai’lisa said with a mischievous smile.

“You would! Mandy, could you please—” Desiree turned to her other friend and noticed that, unbeknownst to them, Amanda had curled up into a ball and was fast asleep. “Figures,” Desiree mumbled. While her focus was on Amanda, Cassie quickly grabbed her cell from her cousin’s hand. “Wha—? No! Cas!”

Cassie sprung up from the couch and immediately headed for the back of the apartment. She bumped into the side table and, while it hurt greatly, it wasn’t enough to slow her down. Desiree chased after her but Cassie managed to duck into the nearby bathroom before Desiree could reach her. Cassie locked the door behind her then tried to blink her blurry screen into focus enough to put in her code. Meanwhile, Desiree banged on the door. “Don’t call him, girl! You’re drunk as shit right now!”

Cassie continued to ignore her cousin and dialed the number.

————-

Cassie awoke the next morning with a pounding headache and very little memory of the previous night’s events. She didn’t even remember falling asleep on the couch or covering herself with Amanda’s large, religious themed throw. She pushed off the cover and tried to sit up but the throbbing in her head made it difficult. She was tempted to remain seated and try to finish sleeping off her hangover but she could feel bile pushing up her throat. The more she tried to swallow it down the more it resisted. “Fuck,” she grumbled as she slowly pulled her heavy body upright. She swallowed hard once more (again to no avail) as she mustered enough energy to pull herself to her feet.

At her feet rested a large, shapeless mound that she couldn’t fully make out with her still blurry vision. But she knew it was either her cousin or one of her friends. This was because she accidentally kicked the mound’s side when she rose causing whichever person to mumble but not wake.

Cassie held onto the side table then used the wall to guide her to the bathroom. She was grateful that no one was in there. She wasn’t sure if she could make it to the kitchen sink or the large outside trash bin to vomit. She barely made it to the toilet in time. The second she lifted the lid, the liquor and sweets from the night before hurled forth. Some of it splattered onto the seat. She would have to clean it up, of course, but not now. Her head and body still ached tremendously. Plus, she only had enough energy to rinse the leftover vomit from her mouth.

 _Never again_ , she told herself. She had been drunk plenty of times before but never this badly.  It was that damn vodka. It always made her feel like crap the next morning. _Well,_ she consoled herself, _at least you didn’t do anything stupid._ That was the one benefit of only partying this hard with close friends. There was less chance of doing something regrettable—like going home with an unappealing stranger or fighting some random or stripping in the middle of the club (all things Cassie had been witness to but never done personally). Only the best of friends were guaranteed to truly have your back. Plus, the intimate setting cut down on the chances of embarrassing herself—another relief.

Cassie groaned as she dragged herself to the sink—each step felt like a thousand-mile trek—and turned on the faucet. She cupped a handful of cold water into her mouth, rinsed, then spat it out. She repeated this once more before a loud buzzing irritated her headache. She winced in pain as she searched for the cause of the noise. She soon found the culprit sitting on an almost bare shelf of the bathroom closet.

Once she retrieved it, she noticed it was her cell phone. _But when did I…_ Her vision had become a bit less blurry so she was able to easily make out the name on the (too) bright screen. It was Tom. It was one call of many that were supposedly made last night. She hit the answer button and brought the phone to her ear. “Hello,” she said groggily.

“Hey, baby!” Tom’s voice was way too loud and cheery for her. She winced and pulled the phone from her ear. “You had fun last night?”

“Mmm-hmm,” she replied as best as she could. “I mean… I think I did. Some parts are still… a bit fuzzy.”

“So… you don’t remember calling me at all last night?”

“No,” she said as she leaned her head against the closet door. It was surprisingly cool.

“Well, what about the texts?”

He was revving up to something. She could tell. He sounded as if he knew some terrible secret. “No… why,” she cautiously asked.

“No reason.”

She could almost _hear_ him smiling. “What is it? What did you do?”

“ _Me?_ ” He chuckled. “Oh, my pretty little Cassie. You should check your texts, darling. They were very… informative.”

Panic rose in her. She knew she didn’t like his tone! “Oh god… what do they say?” He chuckled again. She knew him well enough to guess that his face probably currently held the most devious Cheshire-like grin. “Oh god,” she repeated. “I don’t have the stomach to look at them. Are they really bad?”

“Well,” laughter was still in his tone, “not as bad as the pictures.”


	24. Bad Company

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is based off of a conversation that I and jazzytee had. It deals with some very serious issues that heavy in the black community. Also, it takes place after Tom and Cassie had their first child. I felt like playing with the timeline a bit but also their children is relevant to the issues being addressed.

For a brief recap for those that don’t remember, Freddie is one of Cassie’s older cousins introduced in [chapter 10](http://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=http%3A%2F%2Farchiveofourown.org%2Fworks%2F2266092%2Fchapters%2F6783854&t=YmYyMmExMzgwYmQzMmRiM2U2MmQxZWFlZmRiZmJmYWNmNjZjNzI5NSwyZHpCV1dxVQ%3D%3D) of [Aftermath](http://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=http%3A%2F%2Farchiveofourown.org%2Fworks%2F2266092%2Fchapters%2F4977738&t=N2FmOThiZjA0Yzk2YmE5N2NlMDdkOTQxZGFmMzFjNjdmNDhhMmU2MSwyZHpCV1dxVQ%3D%3D):

_Before her Uncle Johnny’s children had moved in Cassie never really had to think about the shade of her skin tone. Her grandmother had never shown preference over the different shades of her grandchildren. She had loved and treated them as equals; yet in the last year Cassie had discovered that dark skin was ugly and undesired._

_The worst came from her cousin Freddie who, it seemed, never let a day go by without mentioning his sheer disgust with dark skinned girls. “You see that girl over there,” he had said one day while rudely pointing at a girl walking by. “I would never, never date her! I don’t want my kids coming out so dark they can’t be seen in the dark,” he laughed._

_“Freddie,” Luke responded, “why you always shitting on dark girls like you ain’t black as fuck?”_

_“That’s different! My black is beautiful!”_

* * *

It was a stormy Saturday evening in Shreveport, Louisiana. Cassie and Tom were back in town visiting her family for her grandmother’s birthday. It was treated as a major event. Majority of the family returned south for the celebration. Many returned home early in the morning due to having very tight work schedules and couldn’t spend the weekend with her like they planned. Ma’dear didn’t mind too much, however. She, too, was pretty wiped out from the festivities. She wanted to spend the evening resting before the large party they had planned for her all day Sunday.

Cassie was content on spending the evening in bed with Tom and their two-year-old, Ashira, but her cousin Freddie insisted that she come out with him and his new wife, Camilla. At first, Cassie turned down the invitation. She was not in the mood to deal with her cousin. They were never particularly close growing up. If she had any opportunity to avoid being in the same room with him she took it.

It was Tom who suggested they go out. “Come on, baby!” he said. “It might be fun.” She shot him her best dirty look but, after all these years, he was unfazed by it. “It’ll be nice to get away from all the stress for a couple of hours. Besides a double date could be fun!”

“What about Shi-Shi? Who’s gonna look after her?”

“Ma’dear can. You know she loves Ashira.”

“Eh. I don’t know…”

“Oh, come on, Cas. Let’s go out. I mean, you get to eat food that you don’t have to prepare.”

“Fine,” she relented with a loud groan. “I’ll go! But I’m ordering as many desserts as I want and I don’t wanna hear nothing about it,” she said with a pointed finger.

Tom gently grabbed it and kissed her knuckles. “I wouldn’t dream of it, darling.”

The double date was awkward to say the least. First, Freddie insisted they all ride in the same car to save gas. (Though Cassie suspected it was more to show off his new car than actual frugality.) The ride was cramped and Freddie’s taste in music had not improved in the years since he’d been away. Cassie was not fond of country music so suffering through the seemingly endless cycle of Carrie Underwood, Little Big Church and Taylor Swift was worse than hell. At one point she whispered to Tom a warning that she would jump out of the moving vehicle. Tom only laughed in response before patting her hand. She frowned. She was deadly serious. Thankfully they arrived to the restaurant before that could happen however.

The second terrible aspect of the evening was the wait. They sat in the foyer of the building for almost an hour before being seated. The area was cramped and not everyone within it prescribed to a good hygiene regimen. More than once Tom and Cassie ducked back outside, risking drenching themselves in the rain, just for a moment of fresh air. To make matters worse, during their wait another couple casually remarked how Tom and Camilla made such a lovely couple. Cassie didn’t think too much of it. She supposed it was a simple mistake.

Freddie had taken her aside to speak with her about a text from their cousin Desiree. She was still looking for the perfect gift for their grandmother and couldn’t settle on anything appropriate. This left Tom and Camilla to make small talk with one another. Anyone who saw the two groups would have made the same assumption as the couple had. (Although, the body language would have hinted that neither of the pairings had any romantic inclinations whatsoever.) It didn’t begin to irk Cassie until the woman continued to gush over how perfect Tom and Camilla looked together. She even went so far as to say that their children would have the “perfect model looks.” She bit her lips to keep herself from voicing her agitations. Instead she shot the woman a death glare so strong she should have combusted by now.

The woman continued to marvel over “just how cute” her partner and her cousin’s wife were. Tom didn’t stop her. He simply wrapped his arm around Cassie’s waist and pulled towards him. “Actually, _this_ is my life partner,” he stated before pecking her on the lips. The woman’s face flushed red. She turned back to her lover without even whispering an apology. To make matters worse, even the hostess and servers assumed the pairing was along racial lines: black (Cassie  & Freddie) and white (Tom & Camilla). To their credit, however, once they were corrected they offered apologies. Yet for Cassie they were too little, too late. She wished that this was the first time that she had to suffer the casual suppositions but it wasn’t. Whether it was in Shreveport, Los Angeles, New York, London, France, or Tuscany there was always this disbelief that Tom was with _her._ She grew tired of correcting them. Which is why Tom now took the responsibility. But even with that, the pain of people dismissing their relationship—no, dismissing _her_ —was often unbearable. If she still consumed alcohol she’d swallow two bottles of vodka right now in hopes that it would numb her.

The final ruination of the evening came at dinner. Their conversation started out casual. They went through the usual polite filler: the weather, careers, future endeavors, which show or books they were currently enjoying. It was the type of conversation strangers made while sitting at bus stops. Not family members. Yet that’s who Cassie and Freddie were essentially. She never had a desire to know him further and no number of civil dinners would change that.

Once the quartet made their way through the filler, the conversation lulled. Now only the ambient noises of the other patrons cutting through the scrapping of their silverware on their plates was heard. After another moment of unbearable silence Tom asked, “So, Freddie… how did you and Camilla meet?”

Freddie’s countenance lit up at the mention of his new wife. “She worked at a yoga studio in Atlanta. I came in to drop a few pounds and ended up picking up this wonderful woman.” He cupped his wife’s hand in his. “I swore she was the most gorgeous woman I ever saw.”

“You’re too sweet, Freddie-bear,” Camilla said as she blushed. She tucked a strand of her straight, blonde hair behind her right ear. “And I thought he was just the cutest thing. It also didn’t hurt that his pant showed off that cute little butt of his.” The table shared a laugh at the comment.

“Yeah,” Freddie continued, “I saw this beautiful girl standing quietly next to a sea of cackling coworkers and I just couldn’t tear my eyes away from her.”

Tom and Camilla smiled at his words but something struck a nerve with Cassie. While she had been abnormally quiet this evening, Camilla typically was anything but. The first time Freddie introduced her to the family was at last year’s reunion. A moment didn’t pass without the woman filling the air with meaningless words. Cassie didn’t think too much of it, though. She assumed that it was due to the woman’s nerves. It’s stressful meeting your significant other’s family for the first time, after all. But when Freddie was questioned about his mate’s loquacious demeanor he simply stated, “That’s just who she is. Talk a mile a minute that one.”

“Damn. If Cam was the quiet one then those other girls must’ve been fucking banshees or something,” Cassie joked. Camilla, always a good sport, joined in the laugh; Tom and Freddie followed suit.

“No. No. They were just, you know, the typical ghetto riff-raff,” Freddie corrected.

The smiled dropped from Cassie’s face at the word “ghetto.” “Wait,” she said, “So… because they were black they’re automatically loud?”

“What? They’re loud because they were loud. I never said they were black.”

“But you implied it when you said they were ‘ghetto.’ If they were white and loud would you have used that word?”

“Oh my god, Cas. Here we go. You do this every time. Not everything is about race.”

“You’re right. It isn’t.” She forked a bite of her food into her mouth, swallowed, then added: “But _this_ definitely is.”

Freddie took a deep breath to calm himself. “Cas, you’re—”

“Cam,” Cassie interrupted, “do you think your co-workers are loud?”

Camilla shifted her gaze between Tom and Freddie. She hoped that one of them would speak and save her from engaging in the conversation but neither did. “Um… no. Not really. I mean, we work in a very busy gym so we usually have to talk above the sounds of the… the place but no.” She cleared her throat. “No. They’re not in particular. But I really don’t think—”

“Thank you! See, Freddie? She doesn’t think they’re loud so why do you?”

“Cas…” he spoke through his teeth. He dropped his head in his hands then looked up at Tom. “How do you put up with it man?”

“I love that she’s so vocal about what upsets her.” He rubbed the back of Cassie’s hand then smiled at her. “It’s one of her best qualities.” He leaned over and the two shared a soft kiss.

Freddie rolled his eyes at the display. “Listen, cuz,” he said to Cassie now, “I know what you’re trying to do.”

Cassie raised an eyebrow. “Oh really? What am I trying to do?”

“You’re trying to turn this into some big race issue when it isn’t.”

“No, _you_ turned it into a ‘big race issue’ when you called Cam’s coworker’s ‘ghetto.’ A statement that we both know is used to mean ‘uncouth,’ ‘unsophisticated,’ and ‘too black.’ And we know how you feel about anything being too black.”

Freddie scoffed at her words. He untucked his napkin from his collar and tossed it onto his plate. He leaned back in his chair and folded his arms across his chest. “And there it is. There’s that bitterness I’ve come to love and expect from my little cousin.”

“Bitter! Did I hear that correctly?” She turned to Tom. “Did he just call me bitter.” Tom took a sip of his wine and nodded his head. “I thought so. Lemme tell you something, _cuz_ ,” she mocked Freddie’s tone he used to address her earlier. “I’m not bitter in the least. I’m upset. Annoyed. Hell, I’m even a little bit embarrassed. But I’m any- and everything but bitter.”

“No, _cuz_ ,” he nearly spat the word out like phlegm. It had now become a symbol of mocking. It was no longer a familial adornment. “You and women like you are all just bitter and pathetic—”

“Women like me?”

“Yes!”

“Oh, you mean _black_ women?”

“If you wanna take it there then yes! Black women like you. Who’s mad and bitter because no one’s checking for you because of your nasty ass attitude. Why do you think I don’t bother with y’all? Who wants all that drama?”

Cassie rolled her eyes and sucked her teeth. “Oh please. Spare me that bullshit, nigga.” The sound of the slur caused Tom and Camilla’s skin to bristle with unease. They shifted in their seats as the tension rose between the cousins. Cassie had dropped all pretense now. She’d nearly forgotten she was in the presence of mixed company. Normally she would curb her language so that non-black persons wouldn’t get too comfortable and attempt to use the word with her in some misdirected attempt at camaraderie. But her current annoyance trumped that reasoning and she fell back into her old habit with ease.

“You really are a trip,” she continued. “Y’all niggas be out here treating us like shit on the bottom of y’all goddamn shoes then wanna turn around and call _us_ bitter? Miss me with the bullshit, fam! Miss me!”

“See? Right there! That anger’s what I’m talking about. You think Cam would behave like this?”

“Oh so Cam is some mythical creature who’s above feeling emotion?”

“You know damn well that's not what I meant! But look who’s causing a scene and who’s not.”

“‘Causing a scene,’” she repeated with a scoff. “Okay.” She smiled then swallowed some of her water. “I’ll admit my tone might have risen a pitch or two,” she conceded, “but I’m far from making a scene. But even if I weren’t… you really mean to tell me that Cam is above this as well? She’s above checking you when you’re outta line? Really?”

“I don’t think that’s what he meant, Cassie,” Camilla interjected. The entire ordeal was making her uncomfortable as well as embarrassed. She wanted this conversation to end so they could return to the pleasantries.

“No,” she corrected, “he said what he said. I’m not trying to put you on blast here, hon,” Cassie reassured. “This isn’t about you. Not really. It’s about him.” She pointed to her cousin.

“No, Cas. I’m pretty sure it’s about you.”

“No. See this is about you because you do this every damn time, Fred. You say some shit then throw it back in my face when I get upset. But you’re not gonna do it to me anymore. Nuh-uh. Not tonight. You’re gonna get it back.”

“You know what? Fine! Fine. You wanna go blow for blow right here, right now? Let’s do it.” He encouraged her to continue with a quick beckoning hand motion. “Say what’s on your chest, cuz. Get it all out.”

“Why do you hate yourself so much?”

Freddie was visibly taken aback by the accusation. “I what? I… hate myself?” He nearly chuckled at the words. “Why… how could… what? That’s just… dumb, Cas. Even for you.”

“Wow. Oh. Okay. So you just gonna act like your obsession with white girls isn’t some act of self-hate?”

Tom’s eyes widened at the conversation. He was tempted to pull Cassie aside but he wasn’t sure what he would say to her. This really wasn’t his fight. Besides, she was a stubborn little one. She wasn’t going to back down. Not now. Not before saying her peace. Instead he cleared his throat and poured another glass of wine for himself. He did the same for Camilla who appeared equally uncomfortable. He swallowed the drink then sat back as the cousins resumed their quarrel.

“Oh no! You ain’t gonna go there! No you’re not! You’re sitting here with the whitest white boy that ever existed and you calling me on _my_ supposed ‘self-hatred?’ Can you say ‘hypocrite?’”

“I could say it. If it applied to me but it doesn’t.”

“Oh, okay. I see. So when a brother dates a white girl it’s because he hates himself but when _you_ do it…”

“No, when a brother trashes black women, says that the only ones worth anything are light skinned with European features, and dates a revolving door of only white girls then yes. Yes, there’s a helluva lot of self-hatred there.”

“That’s bullshit and you know it. See that’s the problem with black women. Y’all always wanna blame everyone else for y’all mistakes. Maybe if y’all were so damn bitter and, yes, ghetto and actually wanted for something besides acting like a bunch of ratchet—”

“That’s right. Keep talking! Keep making my point for me, cuz. Keep going.”

“So you’re gonna deny that black women act like that?”

“There are _some_ black women who are ghetto, yes. Some might even be bitter for a variety of reasons. But to act as if that’s indicative of _all_ black women is the bullshit I’m talking about. To act as if there’s anything wrong with being ghetto and ratchet—which doesn’t mean what you think it means by the way—is what I’m talking about. Please, Freddie, remember that we _both_ grew up in the ghetto. Your first girlfriends were ghetto. Now all of a sudden you acting like you’re better than them? Nigga, please.”

Freddie shook his head in exasperation. “Cas, you keep making this something it’s not. You’re putting your insecurities on me and I don’t like that shit.”

“My insecurities. _My_ insecurities? Which of us hates blackness so much they equate marrying white to ‘marrying up?’”

“She says again forgetting that her white boyfriend is sitting next to her!”

“No,” she shook her head. “No, what Tom and I have is very different.”

“Right… Because it’s _you._ But what _I_ have with Camilla is an act of self-hatred. I keep forgetting that,” he quipped.

“You just…” Cassie balled her fists and exhaled a deep breath. “You keep missing the point and it’s so… annoying.”

“No, you keep forgetting to make a point.”

“My point has been stated repeatedly!”

“No, it hasn’t. You say that my preference is an act of self-hatred but yours isn’t. You refuse to acknowledge that black women often date outside their race for the same reason you’re claiming that I do!”

“You know what? You’re right. I will concede that there are black women who will refuse to date black men for the same reason you refuse to date black women but—”

“I’m not refusing to date anyone! It’s a preference! One that I formed after years of dating.”

“Okay but you really gonna act like colorism didn’t affect those so called ‘preferences’ though? You really gonna act like you didn’t explicitly seek out women who looked less and less black. Women who look less like me and more like her,” she signaled to Camilla with her hand. Camilla started to speak out of a desire to defend herself but Cassie continued. “You really gonna try to play that game with me? Bruh, really?”

Freddie groaned then rested his face in his palms. “It’s like talking to a wall, I swear. This shit right here is why my preferences exist in the first place. Because I don’t have to worry about any of this shit when—”

“When you’re dating white girls?” she finished for him.

Freddie closed his eyes in annoyance and softly shook his head from side to side. The conversation lulled to a hard silence as both sides rested for a moment. The tension that had form continued to loom in the air. It hung over them and mingled with the ever-present awkwardness. It threatened to come crashing down on them and smother the remnants of the cousins already dying familial bond. The only way to save whatever salvageable pieces of their relationship would be for either of them to let the issue go. To move on to dessert then have a silent ride home. Yet it was in neither of their nature to do so. Stubbornness was this family’s common trait.

“Cas,” Freddie began after another moment of uncomfortable silence. “Do you really think you being with Tom is _any_ different from me being with Camilla?”

“Yes, Freddie. I do. I really do.”

“Why? What’s so different between you and him and me and her?”

“The thing is, Freddie…” She paused so she could find the correct words. It was already so difficult to get through to him as is. She wanted there to be no misunderstandings about her point. “I… I fell in love with Tom. Unexpectedly. I woke up one morning and my friend was suddenly more than that. I wasn’t chasing after him and some ideal. I wasn’t thinking that all black men were trash or this or that. I saw him and I knew I loved him.”

“And you think that’s not how it is for me and Camilla?”

“Your track record proves otherwise. I mean, I’ve seen you with plenty of Camillas. No offense, hon,” she said to the woman. Camilla didn’t respond but the offense was clear on her features. She poured another glass of wine as Cassie continued. “All of them blonde, white girls. All of them interchangeable. I’m not saying you don’t love her. I’m just saying when all your ex-girlfriends and wives fit a particular pattern… it makes me wonder. I mean,” she licked her lips, “aren’t you even curious where your ‘preferences’ were born? Aren’t you curious as to why only the white girls you meet are worthy of respect and every black girl is some variation of ‘ghetto’ or some other ugly stereotype? You honestly don’t think that they could be influenced by a bunch of shit?”

“All I know,” Freddie replied softly, “is that I love her. Same as you love Tom.”

“Okay. I can’t say that you don’t so I won’t. But lemme ask you this… what’s her favorite color?”

“What?”

“You say you love her? What’s her favorite color? Her favorite movie? Or better yet, tell me what made you fall for her. I double dog dare you to answer that without mentioning anything about her race. Tell me anything specific about Camilla. Her religious or political views and why she has them. Tell me what makes her smile or cry. Tell me anything about your wife that goes beyond the surface. Anything, Freddie! And I’ll agree that I’m wrong and I’ll apologize to both of y’all.”

“I’m not playing this game, Cas. I don’t have to prove shit to you.”

“Fine. Okay. Then don’t.”

“I won’t!” Because I have nothing to prove.”

“So you already said.”

Freddie pursed his lips together in hopes of quelling his growing temper. He took a few calming breaths then said, “Now lemme ask you something. What is this, Cas? Why you so desperate to pretend like your relationship is better than mine or some shit? Like _you’re_ better than me?”

“Oh my god, Freddie. That’s not what this is about at all. I’m just—”

“You’re just trying to embarrass me in front of my wife. Who I _love._ Because you refuse to admit that deep down the reason you’re with Tom is because black boys fucked you over and you wanted to duck into whiteness to heal.”

Tom’s ears perked up at the accusation. He knew of her past relationships but he didn’t believe for a second that he was Cassie’s “white savior” or anything of the like. Not when he had to work so hard to keep her, to build the trust they had now, to make the family they had work. If anything _she_ saved _him._ He looked at his lover. She sat mouth slightly agape in shock, blinking back her cousin’s words as she processed them.

“Wow,” she finally spoke after a moment of stunned silence. “You really went there.”

“I didn’t want to, Cas, but you pushed me there.” He leaned forward. “Now why don’t you be real for a minute,” his tone was venomous as it was vindictive. “After Jamir and Greg you went gay for a minute to soothe your aching heart. And when that didn’t work you fell into this white boy because—”

“‘Went gay!” Cassie interjected. “I went gay. Wow. Just… wow…”

“—because you were afraid of getting close to another black—”

“Fucking ‘went gay’ of all shit! I guess my bisexuality is _still_ a point of contention for y’all—”

“—guy was gonna break your heart and you thought white would make it all right. So to get over that guilt—”

“What the shit are you talking about? That’s not what happened and you know it!”

“—you out here tryna put me on blast over the woman I love.”

“Do… do you even hear yourself when you talk, Freddie? You just… you so…” She exhaled a frustrated grunt. “I can barely even talk right now because all I wanna do is slap the shit outta you.”

“Y’all see that?” Freddie asked the table. “She can call me out but when the table’s turned she gets angry. But if I _call_ her angry then I’m self-hating. Isn’t that right, Cas?” He gave her a smug smile. He sat back in his seat, safe in the security that he had caught her in a logical fallacy.

“You’re so full of shit! I can smell it on you,” Cassie snapped back. “How the hell could you trivialize this down to something so… basic. I _am_ angry. Yes. I can admit that. There is nothing wrong with being angry. It’s a human emotion. One that I’m entitled to. But niggas be out here quick to call us ‘angry black bitches’ whenever we won’t sit and take y’all shit. You don’t know what it’s like, Feddy being a black woman.”

“And you don’t know what it’s like being a black man. It’s hard out here for us! You watch the news. You see what we gotta deal with!”

“Yes, I watch the news but I also _live_ in this body day after day. Same as you. We’re feeling this shit too, fam. It’s not just ya’ll!”

“No one said it was!”

“ _You_ just did! When you pulled out that ‘don’t know what it’s like being a black man’ bullshit.”

“To counter your ‘black woman’ bullshit, Cas! I swear… You be acting so crazy sometimes.”

“Don’t do that. Don’t call me crazy. I’m not making this shit up to start a war. I’m calling this shit out. This isn’t new shit for us, Freddie. You know goddamn well it ain’t.”

“What are you talking about now?” he asked as he rubbed his temple with his index.

“I’m talking about having to grow up and listen to you shit on women that look like me. Growing up hearing you say time after time how you gonna ‘get you a white girl’ when you make it to show that you came up. Don’t you realize… I spent years of my life hating myself because of that shit. Because of you and Odessa reminding me that I wasn’t pretty enough and good enough and would never find love. It took me years to unlearn that shit.”

“I never said any of that about you though. You’re family and, this conversation aside, I love you.”

“Yeah, we family but I’m still a dark skinned woman.” Freddie scoffed and prepared himself to counter her words with another attack. Cassie gently grabbed his hand and said, “Please listen to me. I’m trying to explain how it feels to hear that. And to be treated as if you and I are the same when we didn’t have the same hurts.”

“We’re both dark skinned, Cas!”

“Yeah,” she nodded, “but only one of us is castigated for it.”

Their server approached the table with great apprehension. She had caught most of their argument as she whizzed by. She really didn’t want to be caught in the middle of what she deemed a “race war” but she had to do her job. “A-are y’all done with these plates?” she cautiously asked. Her teenage knees shook out of the fear that this incident would somehow turn violent. She really wished they’d just leave. “I-I-I can take them away for you, if you like.” She plastered on her most professional smile but it still read awkwardly. The quartet nodded in unison and the server hurriedly bussed their table. “I’ll be back with your dessert in a few.”

After the server left the table once again found themselves in a heavy silence. Tom took Cassie’s hand in his then gave her a tiny smile. She returned it with an exhausted one. He leaned forward and kissed her forehead. Cassie closed her eyes and allowed herself to be comforted but the irritation over her cousin’s ignorance still burned in her chest. She was wrong to not let his earlier comment go. Why did she ever think she could—or that he even _wanted_ —to change his viewpoint? She wanted to return to her London home and curl up in the sanctuary she found between her lover and toddler.

A cloud of anger swarmed over Freddie as he watched Tom and Cassie affectionate actions. He, too, wanted to retreat to the quiet of his home. Originally, he believed any dislike his young cousin had toward him was just a part of his imagination. They weren’t close, sure, but she didn’t outright _hate_ him. He assumed his sister, Odessa, was the main antagonist in her life. And rightfully so. She’d never been kind to Cassie; she never even showed that she possessed any type of concern or love for her. But he had been kind, right? So what if he didn’t like dark girls? That had nothing to do with his love for his cousin! Was it _his_ fault that all the women he found attractive were of the lighter hue?

Freddie looked at his wife. She sat picking at her napkin mumbling to herself. This was how she expressed her displeasure. He probably should say something to comfort her but his anger was too high now. Anything he said or did now would come out harsher than he intended. Instead he folded his arms and looked away from the hazardous dinner he suffered through.

His eyes landed on an interracial couple. This one was a black woman with a white man. The two sat opposite each other and it was clear—even from this distance—that they, too, were fighting. The man reached out to touch his date but she pulled back from him. She wiped a tear from her face and shook her head. The man was saying something displeasing to her. Freddie assumed this from the woman’s expressions: constant shake of her head, a roll of her eyes, her quick posturing that punctuated her words. The man was in a world of trouble, Freddie surmised.

He continued surveying the restaurant. He once again landed on a black/white couple. This one was a black man and white woman pairing. The man smiled at his date while he spoke. She let out a boisterous laugh that Freddie could hear across the restaurant. The man grabbed her hand and gently rubbed his thumb across her knuckles. The woman’s cheeks visibly reddened at whatever words he spoke.

“I wonder if he’s only with her because she’s white, too,” Freddie said drawing the attention of the group. “I wonder if he’s a self-hating brother as well,” he added bitterly.

Cassie was unfazed by his tone. She looked in the direction of her cousin’s gaze and smiled at the couple flirting across the table. She shrugged then turned back to Freddie. “That depends on his mentality. He could have genuinely fallen in love with her.”

“He could have but I didn’t.”

“I didn’t s—” She groaned. “I’m done. There’s no point in talking to you because you’ll never catch what I’m saying because you don’t want to.”

“And you’ll never admit that you have the same issues you’re throwing off on me.”

“What? I already said that I had issues with loving myself—”

“I’m not talking about in the past! I mean right now. Present issues with being black.”

Cassie couldn’t help but to laugh at the audacious comment. “What?”

“Don’t, Cas. Don’t act like deep down, no matter how much you’d hate to admit it, that you’re not grateful you met Tom. You’re glad that you had children with him.”

“Whoa now,” Tom finally chimed in. “Please don’t bring our daughter into this, Freddie. This is between you two.”

“No offense, Mr. English, but your girl has been attacking my wife all night. And this has _everything_ to do with your children. And my kids too.” His gaze shifted back to his cousin. “Cas, you really gonna pretend like there wasn’t some part of you that wasn’t… sad when Ashira came out brown? You gonna pretend like there wasn’t the _tiniest_ part of you that wished she was lighter? That she looked more like Tom than you?”

Cassie’s mouth again fell open in shock. She was too hurt by the insinuation to respond at first. Yes, she could admit that she _did_ feel a certain way about the shade of her daughter but not for the reasons he named. After holding Ashira and basking in the awe of the tiny one’s presence, Cassie did think about how her daughter would be perceived. She was overcome with the fear that someone, a man like Jamir, would prey on her insecurities as he had her and use and abuse her one day.

She feared that Ashira would never learn to love herself until after she first hated her skin. She feared that she would be seen as lesser—less intelligent, less human, less loveable—all because her skin wasn’t the right tone. She feared having a little black girl in a world that hated blackness unless it was consumable and marketable.

In those ways, Freddie was right. But Cassie never wished her daughter’s color away. She only wished her an easy life, a good life where she wouldn’t be judged solely by it.

Yet before she could speak this clarification, Freddie continued, “Your silence tells me all I need to know.”

“No,” Cassie finally croaked out. “No. You’re wrong. I would never—”

“So you mean to tell me you never _once_ thought about how hard her life would be because she’s black? And you never wished that it would be different?”

“Not like that Freddie. Don’t put your shit off on me.”

“Oh so you can put yours on me though? Right…”

“There’s that bullshit again.” His insolence and ignorance was more than trying. “I love my baby. As. Is. Yes, I wish she lived in a world where her skin color and mine didn’t matter but that world doesn’t exist. In the one we got, it does. And it matters how dark she is. It matters when her own family members are playing with her curls and reveling at how loose they are and calling her hair ‘good’ and claiming it’s because she’s half-white. It fucking matters when I hear cousins lamenting because she didn’t come out light. It matters because I’ve heard more negative things when I bring her around y’all—my _black_ ass family—than I do anywhere else! Family is supposed to be a supportive place. But all I can hear is the same shit I did when I was a kid. ‘Too much black is not good.’”

She shook her head. She could feel tears well up in her eyes. “You sit there and pretend like this is on _me_ but it’s the society that breed niggas like y’all. You sit around and ‘ooh’ and ‘aah’ over your light skinned babies like they’re some… trophies you show off to the neighbors. Then you turn around and say that I’m upset—what the _fuck!_ —because my baby doesn’t look half-white. If I’m sad about _anything_ it’s that I might have to one day explain to her why people like you will call her ugly or a roach or make jokes about her skin and see no problem with that at all.”

Freddie started to speak but she cut him off with a curt: “You make me sick. You, Odessa, and people like y’all repulse me. I didn’t want to come to this fucking dinner because I knew—I fucking _knew_ —you were gonna show your ass. Because you always do, Freddie. This is who you are. You’re pathetic. I don’t give a shit if we’re family… I don’t wanna know you anymore.” Cassie tossed her napkin that rested on her lap on the table. “I’m going to the bathroom.”

She almost ran into their server when she rose. “I’m sorry,” she apologized. “Excuse me.” She threw one last tempered glance at her cousin then dashed off to the restrooms.

The rest of the table sat quiet for a brief time. Freddie patted his pants pockets. “Shit,” he muttered to himself. He then patted his shirt, cursed again, before digging into the inside pocket of his jacket that hung on the back of his chair. He smiled when he found what he was searching for: his pack of cigarettes. “I need a smoke,” he said before rising and heading for the building’s entrance.

The remaining duo exchanged glances as the world around them continued in gleeful ignorance of the exhausting scene they had just endured. “You know,” Camilla began softly. “I…” she paused to weigh her words. “A part of me suspected that I was just a trophy wife for Freddie. But… I… always assumed it was because I’m pretty not because I’m white.” The realization hit her hard. It un-eased her in a new and strange way. She’d never felt like this before. This odd feeling unnerved her and she wanted it to end. She wanted the entire evening, and more specifically this talk about race, to end.

“I just…” Again she paused to consider her phrasing. “I just don’t understand why it always has to be about race?” Her round blue eyes pleaded for Tom’s sympathy. “Why can’t they just… let it go?”

He smiled warmly at her then said, “Because, Camilla, race is a big issue in the world and being white gives us the privilege to separate ourselves from it in a way that it doesn’t allow them. Cassie and Freddie will always be black and people will always have a reaction to that—mostly negative—because of systemic institutionalized racism. Thanks to Cas, I’ve learned that not talking about it because it makes me uncomfortable won’t solve anything. ‘Letting it go’ isn’t an option. It’s not… some old used car they inherited and can sell for a better model, you know.”

“I’ll admit that I don’t always understand everything,” Tom continued, “but I know, I’ve learned that it’s important to sit back and listen. I think your question here shouldn’t be ‘Why is it always about race?’ or ‘Why can’t they let it go?’ It should be: ‘Why does my husband think my whiteness is the best and only quality about me?”

The smile fell from Camilla’s lips. She pressed them together in indignation then straightened in her seat. Cassie returned shortly. Her eyes were red and puffy from crying. “Are you all right, baby?” Tom asked as he rose to meet her.

“Yeah. No. Can we go? I don’t want to spend another minute here.”

“Sure, babe.” He pecked her twice on the lips. “Do you know the number for a cab?”

“I can google it on my phone.”

“Good. You call and I’ll take care of our bill. Then I’ll get you home and put you to bed.” He pulled her into an embrace and rested his head atop her curls. “We can check on the baby then watch some old musicals. A little Gene Kelly or some Fred Astaire. How’s that sound, lovey?”

Cassie sniffed and answered, “It sounds like what we should have done all along.”


	25. Award Show

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I was challenged by jazzytee to write a drabble based on this ask she sent:
> 
> Cassie and Ashira staying home while Tom goes off to an award show. He desperately wanted Cassie to come with him but she insisted on staying home to take care of their sick daughter. Tom wanted to stay home as well but Cassie wouldn't let him just in case he won. They stay in the living room and watch the award ceremony on TV. Once his name is announced they both cheer for him. Tom includes both of them in his award speech. Right after he wins he goes home to be with them. Screw the after party
> 
> The challenge was for me to write only three paragraphs but I’m horrible and ended up writing nearly 1k words lol.

Cassie sat on the couch in her London living room flipping through the television. Her ill three-year-old, Ashira, rested against her. Every so often she would awaken from her sick slumber to sneeze or cough before resting her eyes again. Cassie placed the back of her hand to her daughter’s head. Her temperature was still low. Cassie smiled. Just a few days ago, the poor child awoke to a 102°F fever (or 38.9° Celsius as Cassie had grown accustomed to saying). Yet now, after proper medication and around-the-clock nursing by both parents, the toddler’s body temperature had returned to normal. Remnants of her illness remained but they weren’t anything to be so concerned about.

“Mummy,” Ashira’s sweet voice spoke.

“Yes, little one?”

“Is Dada on yet?”

“No, baby. Not yet. You just rest. I’ll wake you when he’s on.” Tom was nominated as well as scheduled to present at some award show. Cassie couldn’t remember the name. Honestly, at this point it was hell trying to keep up with all of them.

Cassie returned on the network broadcasting the awards. (During the commercial break she surfed for other entertainment.) She had already seen Tom’s interview on the red carpet (Ashira remarked how handsome her daddy looked—“Dada’s so pretty!”) and his presentation for some award to Helen Mirren. Now she just had to wait for his nomination.

The hour was winding down. It was getting harder and harder for little Ashira to stay awake. Her bedtime was two hours ago. Plus, her illness didn’t make it any easier. But she was a stubborn little one. She would not go down without a fight.

It was nearing nine thirty by the time Tom’s category was announced. “And the winner for best actor in a miniseries goes to… Tom Hiddleston!” the presenter spoke.

“Baby, wake up,” Cassie said as she gently nudged the chubby little girl. “Dada won!”

The child stirred out of her sleep with a groggy whine. Cassie sat her upright on her lap and repeated that her father had won. The news seemed to stirred the child fully awake. “Yay, Dada!” she cheered as she clapped.

The duo watched as Tom confidently strode up the stairs and kissed the presenter on both cheeks as he received his award. “Thank you,” he spoke into the mic. He cleared his throat then repeated, “Thank you all for this gracious honor.” He rotated the heavy award in his palms as he ran through the list of persons to credit: the directors, writers, co-stars.

“They gonna play his long-winded ass off the stage,” Cassie joked to herself. Ashira cuddled close to her mother’s breast and yawned. It was getting harder to stay awake. The late hour and the sound of her father’s voice threatened to lull her to sleep before he finished his speech.

“And most importantly,” Tom continued, “I’d like to thank the two most important people in my life: my lovely partner, Cassie Greene, and my darling daughter, Ashira. Cassie, darling, you are the light of my life. You make me whole. You encouraged me to audition for this role—which I wasn’t even considered for—and stayed by my side every step of the way. And I thank and bless you every day for giving me the most beautiful gift ever, my little dove, Ashira—who’s at home sick. Dada loves you, baby. I’ll be home to tuck you in soon. Be a good girl for mummy.” He blew a kiss to them then turned back to the audience. “Thank you all again.” The audience applauded as Tom nodded and smiled before being escorted off stage.

Cassie wiped a tear away as the show went to commercial. “God that man…” she opined as she turned off the television. She looked down at her daughter but the child had drifted off into a sweet slumber. She wondered if she even heard her father’s speech. “I’ll just replay it for her tomorrow,” she whispered as she adjusted the child.

Their Golden Retriever, King, laid on Cassie’s feet deep in slumber as well. “King, girl,” Cassie whispered as she gently bounced her feet stirring the dog awake. King jumped up and barked happily causing Ashira to groan. “Shhh!” Cassie put a finger to her lips. “Let’s go tuck Shi-Shi in, yeah?”

King barked again, this time much softer and nearly sprinted towards the hall. In her excitement she tripped over the leg of the side table. “Be careful, baby,” Cassie said. She grabbed King’s collar and guided the one-eyed dog, towards Ashira’s bedroom.

Cassie gently placed the toddler into her bed and covered her. “Sleep well, my lil Reese’s Cup.” King nuzzled Cassie’s legs to be petted. “You sleep well too, baby girl.” King barked softly again then climbed onto the bed. Cassie kissed her forehead. “You watch out for her, ya hear?” King gave another soft bark before curling up at the foot of the child’s bed.

Cassie flipped on Ashira’s Princess Tiana nightlight then tip-toed out the room. She took another moment to appreciate the image of her two sleeping babies before quietly closing the door shut. Before heading to her own bed, she retrieved her charging phone off a table in the living room. “You were amazing tonite,” she texted Tom. “You gon get all the XXX tonight, babe. Belee dat.”  


	26. The Fight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This drabble was inspired by a convo with TomsDom as well as this ask she sent:
> 
> Can you please write the one where Cassie is telling him "You ain't gon do shit Thomas!" ala Kevin Hart, like c'mon playa.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was so much fun to write lol

Tom and Cassie stood in opposing corners of the living room. He was leaning his weight on the back of a chair. She stood arms crossed, lips pouted, staring him down. “I don’t understand why you can’t do _one_ goddamn thing I ask you to,” Cassie stated with a roll of her eyes.

“Cas, I’ve done everything you’ve asked me to! You know what your problem is? You’re spoiled! I’ve done _too_ much for you. But from here on out that’s it!” Tom waved his hands dramatically to emphasis his point.

“Oh please! Please!” Cassie marched closer towards him. “I’ve asked you time and time again to not buy me shit but you kept right on doing it. Because _you_ wanted to. That’s on you, my dude.” She stomped up to his face and poked his chest. “Don’t be putting that shit on me.”

“Oh so it’s _all_ on me? What about the shopping spree in Milan? Who was like,” he batted his lashes as he mimicked her accent, “‘Daddy, please? Wouldn’t I look so hot in this?’ Then you fucking _left it_ in Italy!”

“Oh my god! I really wish you would stop bringing that up! It was an accident! I forgot to pack it!”

“Oh no, babe. You forget to pack the extra bar of soap you brought or those cheap earrings you like to buy.” Cassie gasped in offense before her face settled back into a scour. “You do not forget to fucking pack a thousand-dollar dress! Especially since you get on my ass every time I don’t buy a cheap sweater.”

“I swear to god if you don’t stop comparing that one little thing to your other shit. It ain’t the same, bruh, and you know it!”

“It is if I’m going to get chewed out every time I return home with a new purchase!”

Cassie rolled her eyes and walked back to her corner. “You acting like we talking about a $1,100 shirt.” She turned back to him with a new fire in her eyes. “The fuck do we need a new car for? We’re still trying to sort out the mortgage, Tom!”

“We can afford it, Cas! All we need to do is cut down in a few places and once I land this role the car will pay for itself by summer’s end.”

“Oh my god… You so pretty and so dumb.” Now Tom rolled his eyes. Before he could defend himself, however, Cassie added, “If you don’t return that goddamn car I’m going to leave you. I’m taking the dog and the baby and I’m going back to Louisiana. That’s on my motherfucking word.”

“One, we both know you’re not leaving me, Cas. I really wish you stop threatening that. Two, you might want to get used to that pretty little red thing out there because, like you, it’s not going anywhere.”

Cassie scoffed then exhaled a wry chuckle. “Oh okay. I see. Y-y-you think this is a joke. You think you’re real cute and funny. But listen to me… You take back that car,” she clapped between words for emphasis, “or we gon have problems.”

“Fucking hell, Cas. You’re so goddamn stubborn! You refuse to even listen! Sometimes I just want to…” He finished his statement with a frustrated grunt.

“You wanna what? Oh what are _you_ gon do? Huh?” Tom clenched his jaw in muted anger. “I tell you what you gonna do: nothing! Besides taking that fucking car back. You ain’t gon do _shit!_ ” She slowed down her words until they came out in a sing-songy tone. “You…ain’t… gon do shit, Thomas!” She waved her hands around as she spoke. “Not a goddamn thing!”

Tom knew she was serious but he found her sudden change in tone amusing. Any anger or annoyance he felt began to subside. In spite of himself, he chuckled. “Oh you think I’m funny now?” Cassie asked. She was still very hot. The argument would not end until he conceded.

“No. I’m sorry. It’s just,” he continued chuckling, “babe… What was that?”

“What was what?”

“All of this.” He mimicked her previous moves. “And the voice? I…” He shook his head as he laughed. “C’mere.”

“No. I’m mad at you.”

“I know. I didn’t realize how ridiculous this entire fight was until just this moment. Just come give me a hug so we can end this fight.”

“Not until you agree to return the car.”

“Okay,” he said as he outstretched his arms.

Cassie narrowed her eyes. “No. Say it.”

“I will return the car first thing in the morning. Now hug me.” Cassie walked into his arms and they embraced. “I’m sorry I bought that car without consulting you first.”

“Thank you,” Cassie said into his chest. She looked up at him. “And I’m sorry I kept threatening to leave you. I only say that in anger. I don’t mean it though. I’ll never mention it again. Not even in jest.”

“I forgive you.” He placed a sweet kiss on her forehead then another two on her lips. They held each other for a moment longer before Tom let out another chuckle.

“What’s so funny?”

“You…ain’t… gon do shit!’” he repeated with a laugh.

“Damn did I really say it like that?”

“You did. You really did.”

“Oh lord…” Cassie buried her face back in his chest in embarrassment. “God, I’m such a mess.”

“No, you’re so cute. Honestly. Your little ponytail was just a-swinging as you said it.”

“Stop it!” she playfully scolded before bursting into laughter.


	27. Baby Blues

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An anon sent me a prompt:
> 
> What if Tom comes home from a long trip with a beard, and their daughter gets upset because she doesn't like the beard except she's too young to express that and she tells him she doesn't like his face. This makes Cassie double over in laughter until she finally explains to a bewildered Tom that it is beard that upset their daughter. Tom shaves his beard while Cassie and their daughter look on. After he's done she gives him a hug.

Tom shuffled into his home. He dropped his heavy duffel bag at the entrance. “Cas! I’m home!” He called out to the empty house. There was no answer.

“Cas?” he asked as he continued dragging his large suitcase deeper into the living room. Still no response. He assumed that she and their eighteen-month-old, Ashira were out running errands of some sort. “Well,” he sighed, “I guess I’ll nap until they return.”

He left the suitcase at the bottom of the stairs—he refused to drag it up the flight—as he climbed them. The moment his head hit the pillow, he fell into a deep, tired sleep.

\------

“Tom,” Cassie’s soft voice spoke as it invaded his slumber. “Tom,” she repeated with a song-like tone. “Wake up.” She gently pushed his shoulders. “C’mon, baby.”

Tom blinked twice as he stirred awake. “Mmm… I must still be dreaming,” his tired voice croaked. “Because I swore I just heard the voice of an angel.”

Cassie giggled at the comment. “You always lay it on thick, babe.”

“Yeah,” he agreed. “But you love it.” He suddenly grabbed her and pulled her down to him on the bed.

She laughed again as he held her tight and nuzzled the back of her neck. “Boy, stop! Don’t start nothing you’re too tired to finish.”

“Who said I’m too tired?” he asked with a yawn.

“Well that yawn just gave you away, babe.”

“Nah, girl. I can still eat you out. I’ll just do it nice and slow.”

“Oh my god, Tom—”

“Have you coming ‘til you cried.”

“Tom! The baby’s in here!”

Tom peeked over his lover’s shoulder. He couldn’t see his daughter but he could hear her joyful babble. “Oh shit,” he said with a chuckle. “She’s still young. She doesn’t know what I’m saying.”

“She knows enough!” Cassie reprimanded before slapping his hand.

“Okay. I guess you’re right.” Tom released her then sat up. He let out another loud yawn while stretching then rose to his feet. “I’m so sorry, my little dove,” he said to Ashira. “Dada didn’t mean to fill your head with such nasty things.” He turned back to Cassie and added in a whisper, “But Daddy has all sorts of nasty things he wants to do to you with his head.”

“You’re disgusting,” Cassie groaned. She hopped off the bed. “I can’t believe I chose to have children with you.”

“You love my disgusting behavior,” Tom said with another yawn. (Those things were contagious!)

“I do,” Cassie agreed with a laugh as she lifted her daughter from the play pen. “Come on, little one. Let’s say ‘hi’ to Dada.”

Cassie brought Ashira to Tom but when he tried to kiss her she pushed his face away with her chubby little hand. “Oh what’s this?” Cassie cooed. “That’s not nice. Give your Dada a kiss, Shi-Shi.” Again she leaned the child toward her father and again she refused. This time she let out an annoyed whine as she denied him.

“What’s a matter, Shi?” Tom asked. “You don’t love your Dada anymore?”

When Ashira heard her father’s voice her eyes widened. The problem wasn’t that she no longer loved him but that she didn’t recognize him. Her young mind tried to process the voice and the strange face but she couldn’t. Her tiny chest rose and fell rapidly as her mind raced with information. After a moment of his voice and face failing to connect together, the child cried in confusion.

“Oh, baby,” Tom said as he lifted her from her mother’s arms. “Don’t cry. Dada’s right here. Look.” The child cried harder. She kicked and begged to be released from this stranger. Tom’s heart broke as he handed her back to her mother. “What’s the matter?”

“I don’t know,” Cassie answered as she cradled and shushed her daughter. “She was fine when you left and when we Skype’d. I don’t know why she’s acting like this.”

Tom’s sadness grew. He scratched his beard as he tried to figure out the reasons for his daughter’s reaction. Cassie continued to rock her child as she, too, tried to sort the situation out. Her focus shifted from Ashira to Tom and back again.

Then a realization snapped inside her. He let out a loud laugh at how simple it all was. “What’s so funny?” Tom asked.

“Babe,” she calmed her laugher, “it’s… it’s your beard!”

“What?”

“She’s never seen you in a full one. You never had it in the chats or in the pics I’ve shown her. She doesn’t know who you are!”

“Do you think that’s it?”

“Yeah. I think so. She doesn’t like it, babe. It gots to go.”

“Aw, damn. And I just grew it out to perfection,” Tom lamented. “Well if my little dove doesn’t like it then away it goes.” He patted Ashira on her back. “I’ll be back in a few.”

\------

Ten minutes later Tom returned to the bedroom with a clean face. “Okay!” he said as he slapped his palms together. “Where is my baby girl and my kisses?”

He picked up Ashira who giggled and babbled something that Tom read as, “Dada.” He puckered his lips and Ashira pecked him twice on them. “Ah! There she is!” Ashira laughed louder and hugged his neck as Tom planted more kisses on her face. He exhaled a content sigh then remarked: “It’s good to be home.”


	28. Shopping Spree

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This idea was sent to me by jazzytee. I love her.

Tom’s eyes widened at the aisle before him. On it sat hundreds of black hair care brands. Some for different types of hair. (Was Cassie’s hair dry or oily? Should he get both just to be safe?) Some were made of different products. (What did “all natural” mean exactly? Were they referring to Cassie’s hair or the product? Cassie mention multiple times that she was natural but Tom never know what that meant.) What was the difference between the greases and the moisturizers? The oils and the butters? Shea and cocoa? Why did some include avocado? What difference would that make? What was edge control? How did one bottle for edges differ from another that was labeled “jam.” Was it actually jam?

 _Is_ that _what she put on her hair?_ Tom wondered as he lifted a canister of Murray’s Hair Pomade. He place it back on the aisle then removed his list from his pocket and read it. It read, “shea butter (hair), shea butter (lotion)” in Cassie’s dainty handwriting. He moved down the aisle and nearly hyperventilated at the fifteen plus shea infused products.

He tried to remember which product sat on her vanity in their home. Yet his mind produced nothing. “Fuck,” he mumbled as he read the list again. He would have called Cassie to clarify any confusion but he forgot to charge his mobile. So now he was stuck inside a hair supply in Shreveport, Louisiana looking all types the fool.

“Excuse me,” a tiny voice called from beside him. Tom looked up and saw a young woman reaching around him to grab a bottle of hot oil treatment.

 _What the hell is_ that _?_ Tom silently questioned as the woman tossed the bottle into her little blue basket. She followed it with a few more items before bouncing back down the aisle. Another woman turned into the aisle and, just like the one before her, grabbed her product with the ease of years-long use.

Tom studied his list again. He figured he could come back to it after he got the remainder of the list. His eyes widened again when he read the next item: “virgin malaysian 3 bundles black if possible (for Desi).”

“What in god’s name does any of this mean?” Tom nearly shouted.

A quiet snicker came from behind him. He turned in the direction to find a tiny woman with long curly black hair. “You need some help?” she asked sweetly. Her accent was southern but not like the ones Tom became accustomed to in Shreveport. She also didn’t have a faint southern Louisianan accent like Cassie. This was probably from another state all together.

“Um, yes, please,” Tom said as he showed the woman his list. “My girlfriend gave me a list but I have absolutely no idea what I’m doing.”

“I can tell,” she replied with a chuckle. She took the list from him and read it. “First of all the lotions aren’t on this aisle. They keep it down…” she moved onto another aisle; Tom followed suit, “here. Do you know which brand she typically uses?”

“Um… she uses something in brown bottle for her body but she uses something different for her face.”

“Both of them are shea?” Tom shrugged. The woman laughed again. “It’s okay. We’ll sort it all out.”

The kind woman discussed the differences between the products on Cassie’s list as she helped Tom decided. She helped him purchase the correct (well, he _hoped_ they were the right ones) hair extensions, moisturizers, lotions, satin caps, shampoos, and conditioners. Tom thanked her immensely as he walked out the shop and drove home.


	29. November Rains

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A typical date night for Tom and Cassie turn dangerous.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is an idea that JazzyTee and I had for about a year or so. I finally got around to writing it down.
> 
> This is an AU.
> 
> There are instances of physical and attempted sexual assault but the latter is not explicitly detailed. Still some might find it triggering so please proceed with caution.

It was a late November evening. The London ground was still wet from an earlier rain. Tom and Cassie walked down the chilly street, hand in hand, talking quietly among themselves. They had just caught a late show and were now heading back to the Underground in hopes of enjoying a nice beer and bite at Tom's favorite pub.

"That movie was amazing," Cassie said as she skipped over a puddle.

"Meh," Tom said as he stretched one if his long limbs over the same puddle. "It was okay. The ending made no sense whatsoever."

"What are you talking about? Of course it did!"

"No, it didn't! How could it have possibly been what's-his-face?"

"Oh my god, Tom. He faked his death and came back for revenge! What's so hard to understand about that?"

"Well, Cassandra..." She shot him a dirty look. "For starters, how could he have been in two places at once? How did he move around so fast?"

"He used the secret passages. Duh!"

"Okay but how did he get from one part of the castle to the other so quickly? You mean to tell Mr. He-Killed-His-Mother, hid in the secret passage, ran clear across the damn castle to kill the dude with the beard, then made it back to the main group without anyone noticing? And all that was before he even faked his death!"

Cassie paused to counter his observation but found herself struck dumb at his logic. "Oh fuck. You're right," she conceded with a chuckle.

"See?"

"I still like it though, dammit!"

Tom chuckled. "You're allowed. Just promise me, if you decide to write a psychological horror that it'll at least make sense."

"What and take all the fun out of frustrating you with my illogicalness? Never!"

Tom laughed then playfully tossled her hair. "And that's why you'll never win an Oscar."

"You mean another one. Ohhh!"

"Ohhh!" They shared another laugh as Tom pulled her into a gentle embrace. "Your such a little smart ass."

"Yeah, but you love my smart ass."

He smacked her on the behind, causing her to let out a pleased squeak, before caressing her cheeks through her skirt. "I love this ass."

"Yeah, you do," Cassie answered with a grin before puckering up for a kiss.

Tom let his hands linger on her backside while they embraced.. "What do you say we skip the pub and head straight home?" He asked once they parted.

Cassie scrunched up her face in pretense of mulling the suggestion over. "Hmm... Gee, I don't know, Mr. Hiddleston. I was really looking forward to cheap beer and bad bar games, but I guess I'll settle for a nice dicking down." Tom tossed back his head in laughter before throwing his arm across her shoulders and kissing her temple.

Meanwhile, a man studied them from the shadows. The streets were a bit sparse tonight so he could make off pretty nicely without much of a hassle. When the couple got within a few feet from him, he stepped out, startling them. "Pardon, but might you spare a bit of change for a taxi?"

Cassie didn't trust this stranger. She wanted to pull her lover's arm and plead him to continue on then thought better of it. She didn't want to be too rude in case this man had a chip on his shoulder and was aching to take his problems out on the first person he ran across. The news had been filled lately with a string of murders. The latest victim survived, thankfully, and reported that her assailant attacked her simply because she didn't have a watch to tell him the time. That story put Cassie on edge. She was so frightened of being murdered or maimed that she absolutely refused to be outside at night. Not unless she was with Tom or a group of friends, of course. There was always safety in numbers.

Tom, however, seemed to think nothing of it as he reached into his front pocket sans hesitation. The man seemed harmless enough. Though, he was no fool. He'd lived in the big city long enough to know that looking harmless and actually being harmless were two entirely different beasts. He supposed it would be for the better to just hand the stranger some pocket change. After all, he too had heard about the recent killings. The last thing he wanted to do was put either him or his partner in danger. Tom offered the man a few pounds and was glad when he thanked him then turned away.

The couple were relieved that the matter didn't escalate further. They continued towards their destination unaware that the stranger had circled back and followed them. "Hey, mate!" he called out, again startling the duo. "How 'bout a lil more, yeah?" Before either could respond, the man pulled out a blade. They gasped at the sight of the weapon. "Either of ya scream, I'll cut your fucking heads off."

Cassie's knees trembled; her eyes remained locked on the weapon. "Oh my god, Tom. Give him some more money. Give him what he wants."

"You better listen to her, mate. She's a right smart one. Gimme what I want."

"I-I don't have any more cash." This was a half-truth. While he did already give the man the last of his physical money, he still had a wallet filled with bank and credit cards.

"You expect me to believe that, huh?" the man said with a smirk. "I recognize ya. You were in that play. Your ugly mug was posted all about town. Come on then. Give us the wallet." Tom muttered a curse as he reached for his back pocket. "Oi! Do it slow!" the man warned. The long, jagged blade was pointed at Cassie's neck. Silently threatening to harm her if Tom, for whatever reason, decided to be brave and try him. Tom obeyed and slowly removed his wallet. "Toss it here." Again Tom followed the thief's command and threw his belongs at him. The man caught it left-handed then tucked it away in his pocket. He did a quick survey to the left and right of him for any traffic, but again the streets were oddly sparse. But he knew that the lack of people were no excuse for laziness. He still had to be quick. These fools were keeping him tied up enough as is.

He next turned to Cassie. "And you? What 'bout you? What's on you?"

"I don't have anything on me. I didn't bring a purse." This was true. Tom said he would be treating for the night and she, against her norm, didn't protest. She joked that he owed her a night out anyway. It was her night to be treated like a queen. Queens, she surmised, don't pay for shit.

The man looked her up and down. His eyes landed on the sparkling studs in her ears. "That's some pretty earrings, innit? Hand 'em over." She quickly removed them and placed them into his waiting palm. "That ain't all ya got. Look at you. A bird as nice as you, gotta have something else on ya. What about that bracelet?" Cassie unlatched it and handed it over. Her heart ached to see it go. It along with the earrings were a birthday gift from Tom. This was her first time wearing them out. She wanted to cry. "What else you got? Them shoes? Let's have them too." God she really hated to part with them as well. Not just because they were, in fact, very expensive; or because she bought them herself as a gift; or because they, like the jewelry, had never been worn before; but because she did not want to stand her feet on this dirty, wet London street. She whined as she removed a heel, then recoiled as the cold water beneath her began to soak into her stocking-covered foot.

Tom stood fuming. His hands balled at his side. He wanted nothing more than to knock that knife out of the man's hand then follow it up with the ass whooping of a lifetime. But he knew better. This was no action movie. He wasn't a Bruce Willis or Jackie Chan character. Neither was he some comic book god who could conjure up his own weapons for defense. He was flesh and blood. Any action beside compliance would put both his and Cassie's lives at stake. No, for now he had to endure this. Once it was over, and they had escaped physically unharmed, they could run to the nearest help they could find.

The man smiled as Cassie balanced herself with Tom's upper arm to remove her other shoe. He didn't have to take them. He couldn't fence a pair of slightly worn women shoes. But he had a girl that lived in Manchester. She and the woman before him looked to be about the same size. The shoes would make a proper Christmas gift. One that would put him squarely back in her good graces and, hopefully, her bed.

"That all, love? You got a bag on ya?"

"No," Cassie replied sternly. "I told you I left it at home." The cold and wet were already getting to her. She began to shiver. She pulled her coat tighter for insulation. The man toyed with the thought if forcing her to part with it as well but decided against it. It would be too much to carry. Instead something else caught his eye. A piece of jewelry much simpler than the fine ones he already purloined. It was practically gaudy compared to them. Yet he wanted it. She was well off, he was certain. She could buy another one with ease.

"That necklace." He signaled the item with the tip of his knife. "Give it up. C'mon now. Be a good girl."

Cassie paused. Her jewels were one thing; her shoes, another. Yes, she hated they were taken but he could have them a thousand times over. But this necklace? It was priceless. It was her mother's. The same one Daya snapped apart in a fit of rage years ago. The only thing she had left to remind her of her parents. The most previous item that she kept locked away in a little plastic bag in the back of her jewelry box. Tom had surprised her last year. He had found someone who could repair it for her. Some of it would have to be melded with new pieces to fit properly but still it could be done. She cried when he gave it to her; wrapped in gold paper, sitting elegantly in a box typically reserved for more expensive pieces. He treated it like the priceless item it was. She thanked him by bathing his face in kisses and hugging him so tightly he near passed out.

Now, after all that, here stood some man, some common thief, who demanded it from her. "No."

The response took the man off guard. He thought for sure that she would (reluctantly) comply. That's all the wanted. That little trinket. If she just turned it over, he could be on his way. He'd have them turn face down on the ground before running off into the darkness. It could all be so simple. But now, at the end, she wanted to be stubborn? "What did you say?"

"I said, 'no.'" Her voice was a bit bolder now; her tone laden with defiance. "You got everything else. Let me have this." 

He rolled his eyes. Then demanded it again. Again she denied him. He didn't want to hurt them. He really did not. He just wanted what he asked for. Yet her boldness was pushing him. "Give it now!"

"No!" she shouted back. "It was my mother's. I'm not giving you this."

He flashed the knife again, hoping the fear of it would cause her common sense to return. "Is it worth your life?"

Cassie glanced over to Tom. It was a tough decision for sure. He recognized that. He wanted to tell her to give it up. To just hand over the necklace so this ordeal could be done. Yet he also knew her attachment to it. The last of her parents were tied up into the remnants of that necklace. Everything else went up in flames all those years ago. No doubt she would hold onto it, unfortunately, until her last breath.

Still his eyes begged her to let it go. She couldn't keep her parents legacy if she was dead. "Cas..." he gently pleaded in hopes of breaking though that stubbornness he knew so well. "Just give him the necklace, baby."

"Listen to your boyfriend," the thief said. "Hand it over."  He outstretched his palms. The straps of her heels dangled off of two fingers. He beckoned for the necklace.

Cassie looked at the criminal's awaiting hand, then at Tom's worried face, the knife, and finally back at the thief. She gingerly fingered the delicate item sitting about her neck. It was uncertain if this man was just a petty mugger or killer. Wisdom told her to not push the possibility. Still the thought of dangling this irreplaceable gift into this lowlife's greedy palm terrified her more. As did the thought of him draping it around the neck of some impressionable little piece; or, worse, ditching it down the drainage or tossing it into the nearest trash bin out of spite.

She entwined her fingers around the necklace and repeated without an ounce of fear, "No."

Fresh rose panic in Tom's chest as he watched the robber's face darken with anger. He prayed the man would grow tired. Deem fighting unnecessary and leave. But that snarl on his lips told him otherwise. This, obviously, was not a man used to being told no. "You lil cunt!"

In movies, when things like this transpire, the characters always say everything happened fast. A blur of events that's hard to track. Maybe that might be true for some. But for Tom and Cassie, things slowed down.

The mugger grabbed at Cassie. Inching for the mended valuable at her neck. Tom reacted instinctively. Robbing them was on thing, but touching Cassie was another. He grabbed the guy's arm. "Leave her alone!"

The man, full of anger, swung his knife in defense. Cassie, also acting on instinct, attempted to save Tom. "No!" she shouted as she blocked his body with her arms. For her reward, the blade cut the back of her wrist causing her to cry out in pain. Thankfully her coat spared the wound from being too serious; possibly deadly.

Cassie held her arm to her chest in hopes of ceasing the bleeding. Tom, meanwhile, took the opportunity to get the upper hand on the man. He elbowed him in the back, sending him to his knees in groaning pain. Tom started to kick him but before he could, the man gave him a surprised blow to the gut. Tom doubled over in agony.

The man staggered to his feet now, knife still in hand. He lunged forward with full intent to kill Tom. Yet before the the knife could connect with skin, an arm tangled around his throat, catching him fully off guard. He clawed at Cassie's at face, ripping three lines of flesh open. She hissed, she winced, she held on tighter. The man, suddenly remembering he was armed, sought to cut her exposed arm. Cassie denied him the opportunity.

She grabbed his wrist in hopes of pulling it backwards. He wrestled with her, inching the knife closer and closer to her skin with each movement. Cassie was going to lose. Of this she was certain. Her strength paled to his. She needed an upper hand. A sneak attack that would put her in the lead. Without a moment's thought, she bit into the shell of his ear.

"Fuckin' hell!" the man screeched out. He tried to aim the knife towards her face. A proper stab, a good cut to the eye, would put an end to all this! But Cassie still fought valiantly to either redirect the weapon towards him or the ground.

She bit down harder causing him to howl. Her goal was to be the Tyson to his Holyfield. She don't know how much strength or anger it took to accomplish such an action, but her determination was high. Though her strength was not.

Her grip on his throat began to weaken. As did her hold on his wrist. All her energy was now focused on orally amputating his ear.

The man, noticing her loosening hold, chuckled at his pending victory as he turned the knife back downward to her arm. He would go deeper this time. Leave her near dead. Those were his intentions, however, they too were halted when Tom surprised him by throwing his full weight into the man's gut.

The attack sent all three backwards. Cassie called out in pain as she fell back hard against the brick building behind her. The thief let out a string of curses before doubling over into Tom who was still leaned against him. The knife, thankfully, fell to the ground in the commotion.

Now weakened, the man beat against Tom's back and ribs. Tom groaned in pain while trying to return his own strong blows to the man. He missed, however, and punched Cassie instead. The painful hit paused her own activity. She was originally sinking eight of her sharp nails into the man's face, dragging them with slow determination. Now she let out a bellow in response to the aching throb in her side.

The man, being the least injured of the three, was able to take advantage of his targets' weakened states. He pushed his weight back on Cassie, trapping her even tighter between him and the wall. Then he elbowed her twice in her hurt side before delivering a strong one to the center of Tom's back. Followed by a knee to the stomach, then another, then a final punch to the face.

Tom fell backward, blood flowing from his lip and nose. The robber took the opportunity to increase his damage. He kicked Tom to the ground. When he was sufficiently down, the robber straddled him and proceeded to wail viciously on him. Each blow landed heavier and angrier than the last.

Cassie watched, sore, as her lover's head tossed from side to side with each hit. Every time his face turned in her direction, there was more blood. "Tom!" she croaked out, a sob catching in her throat.

"Shut ya fuckin' mouth!" the man ordered, pointing a bloodied finger at her. He resumed his punches almost with glee.

With the aid of the wall, Cassie staggered to her feet. She balled her first, and with whatever remaining energy she could muster, she charged toward the man. The punch was strong enough to send him flying off his target and onto the cold ground. Cassie, taking a cue from the mugger's book, kicked him before he could get up. Two kicks to the stomach then one to the face. She heard the crunching of his broken nose before she saw the evidence of it.

The sight pleased her. She began to give him another one for good measure, but the thief caught her leg and pulled it from under her sending her hard to the ground.

He pulled himself up, shook the disorientation away before sitting his weight on her. He spat the blood running into his mouth onto the ground. At first, he thought to return her actions: one broken nose for another. But then he looked down at her squirming beneath him. He knew then the type of violence he would inflict upon her instead.

He slapped her so hard that it sent her head reeling. The sharp sting caused her eyes to tear. He slapped her again, then a third for good measure, in order to knock the fight out if her. But Cassie was persistent as she was stubborn. She continued to fight against him with all her might. When he pulled at her shirt--exposing her bra--before forcing her thighs apart with his knee, she knew what his intent was. Her want to protect herself, to survive, grew.

He tried to force a kiss on her but she bit his lips so hard it broke skin. He swore at the pain but she would not let go. Just like with his ear, she meant to remove this part from him. Rip it from him as he did their possessions.

The man would not be deterred from his goal though. He punched her hard in her sore side. She released him with a gasp but immediately resumed her fight. Her body's exhaustion threatened to overtake her but she couldn't give in to it.

The robber, too, had grown tired; yet, same as she, he would not give in. Something had snapped in him. Had turned this simple robbery into more. He should be home by now dreaming about the money his pilfered goods would bring. Yet here he was, adding aggravated assault and rape to his charges.

Normally, if a mark had fought back this hard, he would give up and move onto a new target. But there was something about them--this happy little duo sharing sweet kisses and easy banter--that he wanted to destroy. Some part of him had an undefined hatred for them. It was born neither of bitterness nor resentment. Nothing sparked it. Rather nothing he could place. Something inside him wanted to cut that happiness out of them.

That's why he continued ripping at her skirt despite her incessant scratches and pummeling. He had to crush them. Leave his mark on them--body and soul.

Her pleads for help melded into broken sobs. "Please... don't..." He answered her by spitting in her face.

Her lover laid just ten feet away from them, gurgling out her name. "Cas!" Tom rolled into his side. The pain in his body made the action difficult. Even his breaths felt heavy. Cassie shrieked again. "Cas," he mumbled weakly. "Cas, I'm coming, baby." He wasn't. The spirit was willing, but his flesh was weak. Broken. "Cas..." Tom croaked out again. He could barely make out the image before him. One eye was already on its way to swelling. "C-C-Cas..." he shuddered out, his voice wilting into a soft cry.

A heaviness overtook him. Made him want to rest, to sleep. (Whether temporary or permanent, he didn't know.) He fought as best he could against it but his aching body longed for that comfort. He made one final attempt: an outstretched hand that fell limply to the pavement. "Cassie..." he gasped out before succumbing to the rest.

Not long after his eyes closed, though, did salvation finally come. "Hey!" The voice was loud, brusque. "Hey leave them alone!"

The robber didn't listen. He sought to continue on with his attack. Cassie's fight had finally left her. Now she laid limp beneath him. Tears streamed down the corners of her eyes.

"Hey! I said leave her alone!"

"Sod off!" If this man wanted to play hero, he could get fucked up like the others. He reveled in his victory. A gunshot put an end to it.

The Samaritan didn't shoot at the robber for fear of perhaps missing and further hurting the victim beneath him. Instead he aimed his gun at the air. It was a warning.

The common sense that seemed to elude the thief returned. He was tough but not inhuman. He looked back at Cassie. Her pretty face was covered in bruises and dried blood. Her eyes red from crying. Her hair tossled about in damp clumps. And at her neck sat that tiny chain that started all this. He tossed her smirk as he snatched it.

Cassie could do nothing but watch. The last of her parents dangled between his vicious fingers as he ran off into the night.

"Are you alright?" The Samaritan asked. She was too wounded to speak so she replied with a head shake. He tried to help her up but his polite touch sent a violent shiver through her. She jerked back from him. She did not want to be touched by any man. Not now. "I'm calling the police," he assured her before giving her some proper distance.

Cassie dragged herself upright. She pulled her coat closed to hide her exposed body. More tears fell; she wiped them away with the back of her hand. She was about to give into a much needed wail but she looked over and saw Tom.

"Oh no. No, no, no," she croaked out. She crawled to him. "Tom? Tom?" No answer. "No, no, no, no!" She cradled his head in her lap and gently stoked his beaten face. "Tom, baby, please, please, wake up."

He didn't speak. He didn't move. She wasn't sure if he was alive or not. "Please, baby..." She frantically shook him. "No, baby, you can't leave me. Please wake up!" Cassie exhaled a choking sob. "Please, Tom!"

As if he heard his love pleading him, a soft gasp escaped his lips. It was so tiny that Cassie couldn't tell if it was real or imagined. "Tom?" Another small breath slipped out. Cassie chuckled in relief. "Oh my god. Oh my god. Oh my god." She planted a joyous kiss on his forehead. The delicate action pained him. He mustered up a whimper to voice this. "Oh! I'm so sorry."

Tom tried to smile so to comfort her but to no use. Any facial movements caused him great agony. Instead he sucked in a breath as he lifted a trembling hand. He rested it on hers. "C..."

"Shhh... it's okay, baby. I got you. I got you."

_______________________________________

The following months were hard. The mugger wanted to crush their happiness, to leave a mark on their little world and he succeeded.

They laughed a lot less easy now. Their date nights had become nonexistent. Neither wanted to leave the house. (Even in daylight.) They rarely touched each other. Not even non-sexually. If they were to both reach for the same item, and his hand accidentally caressed hers, she would pull back in repulsion. She would apologize every time then explain that, of course she knew the difference between him and their assailant. Tom would tell her that he understood; that apologies were unnecessary. Then they would sit in silence for hours with the remnants if their bruised relationship resting between them.

Sharing a bed would have been difficult if either of them slept. Both would often jerk awake from a nightmare. Cassie would awaken in a sweat. Even months later she could still feel that man's rough lips on hers; his hands on the most intimate parts if her body. She would feel dirty. She tried washing him off, scrubbing him away until the rich brown of her skin gave way to the red underneath. No matter what she did he remained. Like a tattoo permanently pressed against her.

Tom's paranoia kept him awake. The man had his license and, therefore, knew where they lived. Any moment now, he could come back and finish the job. He wouldn't be content with just robbing them. (He wasn't before.) He would end them. Brutally murder them. Have whatever twisted way he desired with them. Tom bought an alarm. Every month he changed the locks. If he was gone, and Cassie was there alone, he called the house religiously every hour. Still he didn't feel safe.

This house became a prison. This city, a stranger. Peace of mind was a forgotten memory. He and Cassie.... He and Cassie circled each other like strangers. Danced around the delicate fringes of their mutual pains. Neither wanted to step on the other's toes. To misspeak and tear open still healing wounds. In some ways that hurt more than everything that occurred that night.

The people that they were had disappeared. They died on that cold night. Now these peculiar husks remained; forced to attempt to continue on. To rebuild or start anew. And they were failing.

The thief was caught around late May. He had gotten even dumber and bolder. He attempted to rob a store in broad daylight. He was caught running down the street with crumpled bills spilling from his overstuffed pockets. Tom and Cassie were called in to ID him. Tom couldn't remember the man's face exactly. His features were a blur to him. Cassie, however, knew them perfectly.

His round green eyes with the crow's feet resting in the corners; his gapped tooth grin with one gold on the bottom left incisors; his skin was pale and freckled; his hair brown and slightly curly. They haunted her night and day. Her trembling hand pointed him out with great ease.

They both hoped with the arrest that their life would resume. That Old Tom and Cassie would resurrect and their normalcy would return. It didn't. The nightmares still came for both of them. Their relationship withered away to it's last leg. Tom continued to change the locks with frequency. (He progressed to having the alarm code updated every month as well.) They started going out more in the day but their nights were still spent indoors. They still pirouetted about one another, never crashing or interacting.

Finally, on the first anniversary of the assault, they gave up. Tom and Cassie, the couple, were dead. Yes, they still loved each other. Nothing would change that. But they could not be together. It would be a disservice to the people they once were to keep pretending. The hope of renewal had long been strangled and buried.

Cassie refused to stay in the city. Without Tom, there was no reason to. She had just begun to love this city, to think of London as her home. Now she hated it. She longed to return to the states. Not because it was more secure but because her family was there. Surely they could revive her, help heal her heart, call the Old Cassie from her tomb.

"I'll miss you," Tom told her as he helped her prepare for her flight.

"And I you."

They stood quietly. An ocean of unspoken words lay between them. She tried to voice a few but they stuttered and stumbled on her tongue. Likewise his sat heavy and ineffectual.

Finally her flight was called. Now was the time. The last moment to say something or forever let those feeling drown. "Tom?"

"Yeah, Cas?"

"I love you."

A tiny smile curled up in the corners of his mouth. A part of him ached when he heard those words. It wept for him as he had when he first realized he deeply cared for her. He wanted to hold her but refrained. He didn't want to sour the moment by upsetting her. A simple flinch would gut him. Instead he tucked his hands into the front pockets of his jeans. "I love you too, Cas. Always."

Cassie smiled warmly at him then inched onto her toes and planted a soft, chaste kiss on his cheek. She bid him goodbye with a nod of her head. Tom rested his his hand against the sticky, glossed imprint on his face as he watched her walk away from him for the last time. When she had faded into the crowd, he turned back to the exit. He exhaled a wistful sigh as he stepped back out into the city in search of a new home.


End file.
